MY  LIFE 

lERE  AND  THERE 


PRINCESS  CANTACUZENE 
COUNTESS  SPERANSKY 

NEE  GRANT 


MY  LIFE 

HERE  AND  THERE 


BY  THE  SAME  AUTHOR 

RUSSIAN  PEOPLE 

Revolutionary  Recollections 

With  numerous  illustrations  and  a  map 


**PriHcess  Cantacuzine's  book  should  appeal  to  every 
cne  ivho  enjoys  a  picturesque  and  imaginative  narra- 
tive. Her  fund  of  anecdotes  is  inexhaustible,  and  her 
vivacity  is  unquenched,  even  in  the  midst  of  the  most 
adverse  circumstances." — New  York  Tribune. 


CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS 


From  a  photograph  by  Pack  Bros. 

PRINCESS   CANTACUZfiNE,   COUNTESS  SPfiRANSKY,  NfiE  GRANT. 


MY  LIFE 

HERE  AND  THERE 


BY 

Princess  Cantacuzene 

Countess    Speransky 

NEE  Grant 


WITH   ILLUSTRATIONS 


NEW  YORK 
CHARLES   SCRIBNER'S  SONS 

1922 


K^ 


13  V.  hi 


Copyright,  1921,  by 
CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS 


Printed  in  the  United  States  of  America 


Published  October,  1921 
Reprinted  November,  three  times  in  December,  1921 ; 
'February,  1922 


TO 

MIKE,  BERTHA,  AND  IDA 

THIS  TALE   or  THEIR  MOTHER'S   YOUTH 

AND   OP  THEIR  OWN 

IS   OFFERED  IN  MEMORY  OV 

THE  HAPPY  DAYS  SPENT  TOGETHER 


46343 


FOREWORD 

The  amiable  reception  my  readers  gave  to  my  articles 
in  the  Saturday  Evening  Postj  with  the  encoiiragement  of 
Mr.  Lorimer  and  Charles  Scribner's  Sons,  has  led  to  my 
reproducing  my  story  in  this  form. 

It  pretends  to  no  value,  save  as  being  a  sincere  first- 
hand impression  of  people  and  events  in  themselves  often 
important,  among  whom  and  through  which  I  lived  an 
interesting  life  till  the  period  of  the  World  War. 

I  have  written  entirely  from  memory,  possessing  no 
docimients  by  which  I  could  verify  my  recollections,  but 
from  the  comments  of  witnesses  who  have  written  to 
me,  I  believe  my  assertions  will  be  generally  found  cor- 
rect. I  therefore  venture  to  present  my  volume  to  the 
public  with  gratitude  for  kindness  in  the  past,  and  a 
prayer  for  sympathy  and  understanding  now! 

Julia  Cantacuz^ne  Spj^ransky, 

n6e  Grant. 

New  York,  May  i,  192 1. 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

I.     Childhood  Impressions 3 

II.     My  Grandfather's  Illness  and  Death  .  ^S 

III.  In  Vienna 60 

IV.  Vienna  Silhouettes SS 

V.    My  Debut  at  Court 112 

VI.    Going  Home 150 

VII.     Months  op  Travel 180 

VIII.     Roman  Gaieties 193 

IX.     The  Russian  Home 206 

X.     First  Social  Impressions 223 

XI.    The  Court  and  Society 245 

XII.    The  Japanese  War  and  the  Revolution 

OP  1906 260 

XIII.  The  1906  Revolution ,  .  283 

XIV.  Calm  before  the  Storm 305 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

Princess  Cantacuzene,  Countess  Speransky,  nie  Grant     Frontispiece 

FACING  PAGE 

Colonel  Frederick  Dent  Grant  and  Mrs.   Grant,  father  and 

mother  of  Princess  Cantacuzene i6 

General  U.  S.  Grant  and  family  at  Elberon,  N.  J 36 

General  Frederick  Dent  Grant  at  the  time  of  the  Spanish- 
American  War 90 

Princess  Cantacuzene,  1907 184 

Prince  Cantacuzene 196 

Part  of  the  Cantacuzene  wedding  party  at  Newport 202 

Bouromka,  1899 220 

A  birthday  party  at  the  Grand  Duke  Vladimir's,  eldest  uncle  of 

Nicholas  II 250 

Children  of  Prince  and  Princess  Cantacuzene:  Michael,  Bertha, 

and  Ida 280 

The  Persian  costume  dance  in  St.  Petersburg  during  the  1914 

Carnival 314 

A  group  of  war  workers  in  Petrograd,  including  the  mother  of 

the  Czar 318 


y 


cv,        r^--0 


MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 


CHAPTER  I 

CHILDHOOD    IMPRESSIONS 

I  READ  recently  the  first  chapter  of  his  memoirs, 
written  by  a  small  boy  friend  of  mine.  He  described 
with  enthusiasm  the  day  he  was  bom;  how  well 
he  remembered  his  sister  and  mother  were  walking  in 
the  garden  of  his  beautiful  home  when  the  father  came 
out  of  the  house  and  announced  to  them  the  safe  arrival 
of  the  new  member  of  the  family — himself ! 

My  memory  does  not  run  back  so  far  as  his,  and  it  is 
from  the  many  tellings  of  my  favorite  story  in  very  early 
youth  that  I  learned  of  a  brave  and  handsome  boy  who 
when  he  was  twelve  or  thirteen  ran  away  from  school 
three  times.  The  first  time  he  went  to  his  father  on  the 
battle-field.  The  latter  promptly  returned  him  to  his 
teachers;  so  a  second  time  he  joined  the  soldiers  of  his 
father's  army  and  was  found  among  them  by  a  staff 
officer,  who  brought  him  to  the  general's  camp.  There 
the  boy  was  reprimanded  and  again  sent  to  his  studies, 
only  to  leave  them  and  reach  the  army  a  third  time,  just 
before  Vicksburg.  Finally  the  father,  won  by  his  son's 
intense  sportiness  and  his  adoration  for  the  general  him- 
self, kept  this  yoimg  soldier  with  him,  let  him  fit  himself 
into  the  stress  and  strain  and  hardship  of  the  camp  with 
a  ccMnmander  who  lived  more  uncomfortably  than  any 
one  about  him.  A  pony  was  fotind  and  an  extra  cot. 
At  night  father  and  son  slept  side  by  side  in  the  general's 
tent ;  or  the  boy  lay  half -asleep,  vaguely  conscious  of  the 
silent  man  who  walked  up  and  down,  pondered  over 
maps,  planning  coming  battles  and  campaigns,  and  then 
sat  down  to  write  his  orders  for  the  morrow's  action. 

3 


4  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

By  day  father  and  son  rode  forth  for  inspections,  or  to 
some  point  from  which  the  general  was  to  watch  and 
guide  the  fighting.  Always  they  were  together.  Seem- 
ingly this  big-hearted,  devoted  boy  was  never  in  the  way 
of  the  commander,  and  the  latter  late  in  life  told  with 
delight  of  the  courage  under  fire  and  the  cheerful  accep- 
tance of  discomfort  shown  by  his  younger  partner  in  the 
game  of  war. 

"Fred  never  knew  what  it  was  to  be  afraid,"  my 
grandfather  would  say  with  a  tone  of  quiet  triumph, 
when  he  had  finished  telling  some  little  incident  his 
memory  retained  of  Vicksburg's  siege  and  the  months 
after  it.  "Fred"  didn't  like  my  grandfather's  table, 
though,  and  he  used  to  go  off  and  mess  with  the  troops 
by  way  of  variety  sometimes.  Among  these  men  he 
gained  a  popularity  which  he  kept  through  all  his  life. 
On  his  side  he  learned  to  love  our  soldiers  with  an  affec- 
tion which  never  changed. 

By  his  father's  side  he  entered  Vicksburg,  on  the  4th 
of  July,  1863.  From  then  on  he  remained  at  the  front, 
and  when  in  1865  peace  came,  the  boy  of  fifteen  had  two 
years  of  steady  campaigning  to  his  credit,  with  a  fund  of 
experience  which  aged  him,  but  also  was  of  great  service 
through  his  later  career.  After  the  war  followed  a  year 
of  hard  preparatory  study,  and  the  young  veteran  en- 
tered West  Point.  Discipline  at  the  academy  was  hard, 
doubtless,  on  any  one  who  had  roamed  over  battle-fields, 
and  his  high  spirits  kept  this  particular  cadet  in  hot 
water;  but  his  excellence  at  mathematics  with  a  talent 
for  all  that  concerned  horses  and  drill,  shooting,  or  other 
military  work,  helped  him  to  win  his  pardon  always,  and 
he  finally  came  through  West  Point  all  right. 

As  General  Sherman's  aide-de-camp  a  trip  to  Europe 
gave  the  full-fledged  second  lieutenant  his  first  view  of 


CHILDHOOD  IMPRESSIONS  5 

foreign  lands,  and  he  had  the  interesting  experience  of 
being  in  France  just  after  the  Franco-Prussian  War,  of 
visiting  the  Near  East,  and  from  there  going  into  the 
Caucasus,  where  he  stayed  at  Tiflis  with  the  then  viceroy 
— the  Grand  Duke  Michael,  son  of  Emperor  Nicholas  I 
and  younger  brother  of  Alexander  II.  From  Tiflis  his  host 
sent  my  father  north  with  one  of  his  own  aides-de-camp, 
who  was  to  make  the  trip  as  a  special  messenger,  carry- 
ing reports  to  the  Emperor.  Together  the  two  young 
officers  hurried  across  Russia's  vast  steppes  toward 
Moscow.  My  father  fell  in  love  with  the  mysterious 
beauty  of  the  plains  stretching  out  on  each  side  of  his 
travelling-carriage — plains  where  the  only  noises  were  the 
beating  hoofs  of  troika  horses  and  the  music  of  their 
bells.  Nights  passed  when  our  travellers  slept  in  post- 
houses  by  the  wayside,  or  they  accepted  the  gentle  hos- 
pitality of  amiable  Russians,  anxious  to  help  and  wel- 
come strangers.  Weeks  of  ever-changing  impressions 
these,  too  picturesque  to  be  fatiguing.  Then  came  a 
stay  in  Moscow,  whence  Russia's  one  and  only  railroad 
took  them  to  St.  Petersburg. 

Here  again  the  good-looking  yoimg  officer  received  a 
warm  welcome.  Grand  Duke  Michael  had  warned  his 
wife,  and  the  Grand  Duchess  Olga  Feodorowna  (bom  a 
princess  of  Baden)  received  the  stranger  with  kindly 
hospitality,  making  him  at  home  in  her  palace  on  the 
quay.  Her  guest  never  forgot  the  delight  of  this  visit 
and  the  charm  of  those  who  were  so  good  to  him  in  his 
youth. 

Returning  home  in  1872,  he  actively  fought  Indians  in 
our  Far  West,  took  part  in  the  work  of  our  government's 
surveying  parties  in  Montana  and  out  in  the  dry  Arizona 
deserts,  where  he  lived  for  a  time  the  adventurous  poetic 
life  of  the  opening  Far  West. 


6  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

As  the  next  step  in  his  career,  my  father  became  at- 
tached to  the  staff  of  General  Sheridan,  who  was  sta- 
tioned in  Chicago.  There,  in  1874,  he  met  a  very  pretty 
young  girl,  fresh  from  her  graduation  at  the  convent  at 
Georgetown,  where  she  had  carried  off  first  honors. 
Rapidly  a  romance  developed.  He  was  twenty-four,  she 
twenty,  when  they  were  married  in  October,  1874.  The 
country  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Honore  was  the  frame  of 
a  brilliant  scene.  The  bride's  parents  were  among  Chi- 
cago's most  attractive  and  constructive  people,  while 
the  bride  and  her  sister  were  both  of  rare  individual 
beauty  and  charm.  General  Sheridan  and  his  whole 
staff  in  gala  imiform  were  present,  and  the  bridegroom 
was  surrounded  by  a  family  group  consisting  of  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States  and  many  of  the  latter's  dis- 
tinguished followers  and  friends,  all  come  to  see  the 
happy  officer  married.  The  sim  shone  and  music  played 
for  the  simple  ceremony,  which  was  most  informal  in 
spite  of  its  brave  show  of  historic  names  and  beautiful 
faces. 

Then  the  bridal  couple  went  to  live  at  the  White 
House,  from  where  young  Colonel  Grant  made  his  long 
expeditions  westward  as  before.  In  the  capital,  as  in 
Chicago,  the  bride  was  a  much-admired  favorite.  Two 
winters  passed,  and  in  June,  1876,  in  a  quiet  room,  its 
windows  looking  out  under  the  great  portico  of  the  Presi- 
dent's mansion,  a  first  child  was  bom,  an  unusually  large 
girl,  thirteen  pounds  of  chubby  health — ^myself. 

Many  years  later  I  returned  to  the  White  House  for 
the  first  time  since  my  babyhood,  and  President  McKin- 
ley  was  kind  enough  to  escort  me  up-stairs,  so  I  might  see 
the  room  which  had  been  my  first  home.  I  foimd  the 
simple  dignity  of  undecorated  walls  and  high  ceilings 
attractive,  and  the  view  out  into  the  shady  garden  a 


CHILDHOOD  IMPRESSIONS  7 

delight.  I  was  lucky  to  start  life  so  well.  A  first  child 
of  much-loved  parents,  and  a  first  grandchild  of  such 
grandparents  as  were  Ulysses  S.  Grant  and  his  wife,  was 
bound  to  be  much  petted.  Many  were  the  tales  told  me 
of  my  baptism,  when  named  Julia  for  my  Grant  grand- 
mother, and  with  Mrs.  Honore  and  the  President  for 
godparents,  I  was  christened  in  the  great  East  Room  by 
Doctor  John  P.  Newman,  pastor  of  the  Methodist  church 
which  my  grandfather  Grant  attended.  A  small  party — 
the  family,  a  few  intimate  friends,  and  the  cabinet  stood 
about.  It  was  my  debut  in  official  life  and  it  seems  I 
behaved  well. 

Shortly  after  this  my  beautiful  maternal  grandmother- 
godmother  made  me  with  her  own  fair  hands  a  soft  long 
dress  of  mull  and  old  Valenciennes  laces,  set  together  in 
quaint  patterns  imagined  by  herself,  embroidered  and 
hemstitched  in  the  doing.  For  gala  occasions  a  pair  of 
bracelets,  soft  woven  ribbons  of  gold  with  tiny  blue 
hearts  hanging  from  them,  and  a  wee  ring  with  a  dia- 
mond like  a  pin-point,  given  me  by  my  father's  brother, 
Ulysses  Grant,  Jr.,  completed  the  list  of  presents  which 
my  first  Christmas  brought  me. 

I  was  decked  out  in  these  for  the  event  of  the  season 
— the  President's  New  Year's  reception,  1877.  I  sat  in 
my  nurse's  arms  and  behaved  with  calm  dignity,  I  heard 
years  afterward,  while  diplomats  and  legislative  officers 
with  their  wives  passed  by,  saluting  the  President,  Mrs. 
Grant,  and  then  touching  gently  the  White  House  baby, 
admiring  my  rosy  cheeks  and  all  my  fine  clothes.  Some 
of  the  foreigners  even  kissed  my  fat  hand  in  courtly 
fashion,  before  they  passed  on  to  mix  with  the  other 
ladies  and  gentlemen,  who  completed  the  family  and 
cabinet  circle  in  the  receiving  line. 

I  am  sorry  not  to  remember  what  must  have  vastly 


8  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

pleased  me — the  beauty  of  the  surroundings  that  day 
and  the  soft,  glimmering  lights,  the  pretty  gowns  and 
jewels,  and  the  uniforms  and  decorations  of  that  great 
throng;  also  the  interesting  faces  of  many  Civil  War 
heroes,  or  of  men  who  with  my  grandfather  had  done  the 
work  of  reconstruction  in  the  days  following  the  fight. 
But  I  only  know  all  this  by  hearsay,  and  the  first  scenes 
I  remember  myself  are  quite  different  ones. 

My  personal  recollections  begin  in  a  room  which  I 
could  with  effort  walk  across.  It  was  white  with  a  blue 
carpet,  some  vague  toys  stood  around,  and  a  fire  burned 
on  the  hearth,  with  a  wire  screen  between  it  and  me,  im- 
possible to  get  through.  There  was  a  clock  on  the 
chimney-shelf  which  ticked,  and  from  which  others  could 
judge  it  was  my  bedtime.  On  each  side  of  the  clock 
stood  a  straight  turquoise-blue  vase,  glass  or  china, 
shiny,  rather  broad,  and  with  a  pink  rose  painted  on  its 
centre  space.  It  was  a  matter  of  supreme  interest  to 
me  to  know  what  was  inside  those  vases.  I  always 
looked  up  at  them  from  below,  and  I  wanted  to  look 
down  from  above.  I  think  I  couldn't  clearly  explain  my 
desire  about  them;  anyhow,  no  one  ever  imderstood  till 
finally  one  day  my  maternal  grandfather  came  to  see 
me.  He  and  I  stood  in  front  of  the  fireplace  hand  in 
hand,  and  I  expressed  as  best  I  could  my  urgent  curiosity. 

With  joy  I  heard  him  say:  *'Why,  Lord  bless  me, 
honey,  do  you  want  grandpa  to  lift  you  up  and  let  you 
touch  the  jars?'* 

Up  I  was  swung  to  his  shoulder,  and  there  held  above 
the  blue  vases.  I  gazed  down  at  last  in  deep  astonish- 
ment into  their  depths,  and  there  was  nothing  but  the 
flat  white  bottom  to  be  seen.  It  was  a  great  disappoint- 
ment, though  I  don't  know  what  I  had  expected  to  find. 

Another  iipportant  event  I  recall  during  that  same 


CHILDHOOD  IMPRESSIONS  9 

period  occurred  one  day  when  my  mother  caught  her 
finger  in  the  nursery  doorway  and  gave  a  Httle  cry.  My 
father  came  in  hurriedly,  kissed  her  and  the  finger,  and 
helped  to  put  a  wet  handkerchief  on  it,  while  I  stood  by 
and  watched  with  interest.  I  hadn't  known  before  that 
grown-ups  ever  hurt  themselves. 

Later  we  moved  into  another  house,  about  which  I  re- 
member more.  First  of  all,  the  move  itself  was  of  vast 
interest,  and  the  discussions  as  to  where  my  bed  and 
where  my  toys  would  stand  and  how  the  pet  canary  and 
my  favorite  doll  would  travel  across  Chicago  gave  me 
a  feeling  of  adventure.  Soon  after  this  change,  came  my 
third  birthday,  with  the  first  cake  I  can  recall,  and  a 
party,  consisting  of  my  yotmg  uncle — afterward  Judge 
Lockwood  Honore — and  my  two  cousins,  Honore  and 
Potter  Palmer.  Then  memories  pile  up  rapidly.  Trips 
up  and  down  stairs  alone  gave  me  opportunities  for  new 
discoveries,  till  one  day  one  of  my  cousins  and  I  rolled 
down  a  flight  together.  My  nose  was  injured  and  had 
to  wear  splints  and  plasters  for  a  time,  and  negotiating 
stairs  without  help  was  forbidden  me. 

My  ntu'sery  windows  looked  into  the  yard  of  an  orphan 
asylum,  and  Nurse  Bridget  threatened  me  with  bringing 
in  a  poor  child  to  replace  me,  when  I  was  naughty.  I 
went  to  table  soon  with  my  parents  and  took  part  in  the 
conversation — and  I  watched  and  admired  my  mother's 
embroidery  and  the  water-colors  which  my  father  painted 
in  the  evenings.  For  many  years,  till  the  Russian  Revo- 
lution brought  about  its  destruction  in  our  home,  a  little 
pictiu*e  of  a  green  field  with  a  brown  rock,  occupied  by 
three  vague  white-and-reddish  cows,  hung  on  my  sitting- 
room  wall,  recalling  those  old  days  of  my  childish  plea- 
sure in  my  father's  play-hour  productions.  My  contri- 
bution to  the  family  circle's  life  was  reciting  ''Mother 


10  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND   THERE 

Goose"  and  kindred  poems,  and  I  felt  extremely  impor- 
tant in  the  encouragement  and  praise  my  efforts  drew 
from  my  select  audience. 

Once  my  father  went  away  for  quite  a  time,  to  go 
around  the  world,  and  mama  and  I  kept  house  by  our- 
selves, with  frequent  visits  to  my  cousins  or  my  grand- 
mother. A  Christmas-tree,  an  excursion  and  picnics  on 
the  sandy  beach  of  Lake  Michigan  during  those  months, 
stay  fast  in  my  mind  even  now. 

Then  we  left  for  the  West.  I  recall  suddenly  being 
waked  up  and  dressed  in  the  night  on  a  train  which 
moved  slowly  amid  shouting  crowds.  It  stopped,  and  I 
was  picked  up  and  carried  out  in  some  one's  arms  from 
our  car  to  a  large  open  carriage.  On  the  back  seat  were 
already  installed  Grandfather  and  Grandmother  Grant, 
freshly  arrived  from  their  journey  round  the  world,  and 
all  about  us  was  a  great  sea  of  faces — ^men's  and  women's. 
Torches,  quantities  of  them,  burned,  flared  up  and 
smoked,  then  flickered  down,  throwing  changing  lights 
on  faces  which  to  my  child's  imagination  looked  wild 
with  excitement.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  owners  were 
just  then  receiving  a  national  hero  with  all  the  enthusi- 
asm they  could  display.  Every  mouth  was  open,  and 
hurrah  after  hurrali  filled  the  air  about  as  completely  as 
the  illtiminated  faces  filled  my  horizon.  * '  Grant !  Grant ! 
Welcome  Grant!"  ''Hurrah  for  Grant!"  "Hurrah! 
Grant!  Grant!" 

My  grandfather  sat  absolutely  quiet  in  his  place,  amid 
bedlam  let  loose,  but  for  the  first  time  I  remember  the 
depth  and  power  of  his  eyes,  and  how  dark  they  seemed, 
though  they  shone.  Grandmama,  on  the  contrary, 
waved  her  hand  and  bowed  and  smiled.  She  was  de- 
lighted and  expressed  her  delight  to  her  husband,  to  my 
mother,  to  every  one,  in  fact.     Just  as  I  was  handed  in 


CHILDHOOD  IMPRESSIONS  11 

to  my  mother,  very  frightened  by  the  noise,  the  vast 
crowd  lurched  forward  and  seemed  to  be  upon  us.  Hats 
and  hands  were  waved  wildly.  If  possible,  the  cheering 
increased,  and  shouts  of  ''Move  on!  Start!"  ''Unspan 
those  horses  !  We'll  draw  the  carriage  !  Wait ! "  "  Hur- 
rah, hurrah  for  Grant!  Grant!  Grant!"  rent  the  air 
again  and  again.  More  and  more  panic-stricken,  I  hid 
my  head  on  my  mother's  lap,  and  it  took  some  encour- 
agement to  make  me  feel  brave  again.  But  I  was  just 
regaining  my  nerve  when  a  sympathetic  person  in  the 
crowd,  which  was.  closer  than  ever  to  us,  stretched  out  a 
hand  and  touched  me.  With  a  shriek  I  collapsed  in  my 
mother's  arms,  and  after  that  saw  nothing  more  I  was 
reproached,  and  my  eyes  were  wiped  and  my  nose  blown, 
and  though  I  hadn't  the  bravery  to  look  about,  by  the 
time  we  reached  our  destination  I  had  recovered,  and 
could  calmly  stand  being  taken  out  of  the  carriage  and 
into  the  hotel  lobby.  We  had  arrived  and  my  torture 
was  over,  but  for  a  long  time  I  felt  ashamed,  and  it  was 
a  considerable  relief  to  find  that  most  of  the  grown  peo- 
ple did  not  seem  to  hold  my  bad  behavior  up  against  me. 

Nearly  forty  years  afterward,  at  the  time  of  the  Bol- 
shevik uprisings  in  Russia,  I  saw  enormous  mobs  which 
strained  every  one's  nerves,  and  I  was  then  as  much 
frightened  as  anybody;  but  even  in  191 7  I  was  less 
routed  than  I  felt  myself  to  be  when  that  great  hearty 
American  crowd  shouted  its  welcome  to  my  quiet  grand- 
father at  Colorado  Springs  on  his  return  from  his  triimi- 
phant  trip  around  the  world. 

We  stayed  there  awhile,  and  in  the  hotel  grown-ups 
and  babies  led  much  the  same  life.  I  made  friends  with 
these  grandparents  whom  I  did  not  remember,  and 
attached  myself  to  both.  Grandmama  was  delightful; 
she  let  me  come  to  see  her  dress,  allowed  me  to  touch 


12  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

all  her  dainty  clothes,  and  even  to  try  on  a  ribbon  now 
and  then — while  in  a  special  comer  I  found  there  was  a 
little  box  or  jar  kept  always  half -hidden.  Only  she  and 
I  knew  this  secret,  she  said,  and  somehow  the  supply  of 
goodies  to  be  found  there  was  inexhaustible  and  varied — 
cookies,  dried  prunes,  small  apples,  peppermints,  and  so 
on,  followed  one  another,  each  better  than  the  last,  and 
always  leaving  me  eager  for  to-morrow's  surprise.  Grand- 
mama  was  gay,  knew  poetry  and  stories,  and  was  a 
himaan,  sunny  friend,  and  a  sympathizer  to  little  people 
about,  most  of  all  to  her  small  namesake,  the  first — and 
then  the  only  one — of  the  new  generation. 

With  my  grandfather  my  relations  were  quite  differ- 
ent. He  wasn't  exactly  gay,  and  I  do  not  remember  his 
laughing  ever,  but  the  talk  between  us  was  very  interest- 
ing. He  always  took  me  seriously.  I  felt  promoted  and 
inclined  to  live  up  to  my  new  position  as  his  companion. 
Sometimes  he  would  pinch  my  ear  or  my  cheek  and  say 
softly,  "Julianna  Johnson,  don't  you  cry,"  and  it  rather 
teased  me.  But  generally  he  held  my  pudgy  dimpled 
hand  on  the  palm  of  his,  and  we  learned  to  count  the 
fingers  and  dimples  together;  sometimes  I  made  a  mis- 
take and  sometimes  he  did  so,  letting  me  correct  him. 
And  he  taught  me  "cat-cradle"  with  a  string.  We 
walked  together  hand  in  hand,  silent,  frequently,  but  at 
othei*  moments  talking  of  our  surroundings,  and  he 
called  me  habitually  "my  pet"  or  "my  big  pet,"  which 
made  me  very  proud.  I  was  not  at  all  afraid  of  him,  for 
he  had  a  charming,  gentle  way  of  acting  always,  and 
though  his  face  was  generally  grave,  now  and  then  a 
sudden  gleam  lighted  up  the  eyes  and  made  them  seem 
to  smile  in  answer  to  my  chatter. 

After  the  little  stay  at  Colorado  Springs  we  all  trav- 
elled together  up  to  Galena,  and  I  finally  overcame  my 


CHILDHOOD  IMPRESSIONS  13 

fear  of  the  crowds  which  were  at  every  station,  shouting 
their  welcome  to  us,  hurrahing  and  waving.  The  people 
would  surround  my  window  and  give  me  flowers,  or  ask 
me  for  one  of  those  which  I  had;  "for  a  souvenir,"  they 
said.  They  made  me  tell  them  things  and  then  they 
would  laugh  and  applaud,  and  I  grew  to  feel  I  was  very 
important  to  the  party,  and  that  my  small  private  recep- 
tion was  part  of  the  general  ovation  to  Grant.  I  heard 
afterward,  though  I  have  no  memory  of  the  occurrence, 
that  some  one  asked  me  if  I  was  a  little  American  or  a 
little  foreigner,  and  I  answered  emphatically:  "I  am  a 
Gwant!"  I  remember  being  teased  about  this  preten- 
tious remark  for  many  years  after  it  was  made. 

At  Galena  we  stayed  with  the  grandparents,  who  re- 
turned to  their  wee  cottage  there,  where  they  had  lived 
before  the  outbreak  of  the  war.  Grandmama  offered  me 
the  garden,  and  I  gave  up  everything  else  and  went  in 
for  mud  pies,  while  all  the  world  passed  by  me  in  and 
out  of  the  garden-gate  and  cottage-door.  Handsome  big 
men  and  many  an  elegant  woman  in  her  best  frills  came 
to  the  modest  cottage.  After  four  years  on  battle-fields 
and  eight  in  the  White  House,  with  their  tour  of  Euro- 
pean and  Asiatic  palaces  thrown  in,  it  spoke  well  for  this 
prominent  couple  that  they  contentedly  returned  to  their 
old  place  to  settle  down.  We  soon  left  them,  and  went 
back  to  our  own  house  in  Chicago. 

There  I  remember  many  faces  vaguely  among^  my 
mother's  friends,  but  all  these  were  dominated  by  the 
personality  most  in  view,  General  Philip  H.  Sheridan. 
Very  different  from  my  grandfather  he  was,  but  also  with 
qualities  which  won  and  held  the  devotion  of  those  who 
served  with  him,  and  which  made  him  a  social  favorite 
always.  I  remember  him  well,  for  his  daughter  and  I 
were  playmates,  and  her  father  would  drop  in  to  her 


14  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

nursery,  and  speak  with  us  on  his  way  in  or  out.  He 
had  a  low-pitched  but  rather  loud  voice,  an  easy,  merry 
laugh  or  chuckle,  and  a  warm,  strong  way  of  shaking 
hands.  I  believe  he  was  short,  but  to  oiu*  small  figiu^es 
he  seemed  tall  enough  to  be  impressive,  and  he  moved 
rather  quickly.  He  did  not  have  much  hair,  whether 
because  of  baldness  or  because  the  head  was  close-clipped, 
I  don't  recall;  a  round  face  with  fine  lines,  however,  a 
good  nose,  and  large  blue,  expressive  eyes.  These  changed 
constantly  in  expression — beamed  with  fun  or  looked 
suddenly  tender  and  sad.  All  warmth  and  sympathy 
and  Celtic  charm  as  he  passed  through  his  children's 
rooms  was  the  general  who  led  cavalry  with  such 
genius. 

My  father,  on  this  commander's  staff,  was  more  in 
Chicago  and  less  in  the  Far  West,  and  once  he  and  my 
mother  both  went  away,  leaving  me  with  my  lovely 
aimt — ^my  mother's  sister,  Mrs.  Palmer — during  their 
trip.  It  was  a  new  experience  for  me  to  be  visiting  and 
alone,  without  my  own  parents,  and  I  had  several  im- 
pressive experiences,  one  being  the  family  Christmas- 
tree,  the  only  really  large,  fine  one  I  had  ever  seen.  Ar- 
ranged in  the  evening,  it  took  on  great  importance  in  my 
sight  by  that  fact.  Besides,  I  fancy  I  was  allowed  a 
little  more  candy,  and  was  given  an  extra  amount  of 
spoiling  because  I  was  a  visitor.  Certainly  I  enjoyed 
extremely  the  excitement  of  my  position  in  their  absence, 
though  I  hailed  my  parents'  return  with  delight.  They 
had  been  to  Mexico,  they  told  me — an  official  visit  which 
my  grandfather  made  to  President  Diaz.  General  Sheri- 
dan had  accompanied  my  grandfather,  and  my  father 
went  as  aide-de-camp  to  Sheridan,  while  there  were  sev- 
eral important  civilians  in  the  party  also.  Grandmama 
went,  and  all  the  other  wives  as  well — a  gay,  clever  group 


CHILDHOOD  IIVIPRESSIONS  15 

round  the  great  central  figure.  They  brought  back  tales 
which  thrilled  me  for  years,  and  are  still  told  now  by  my 
mother  to  my  interested  little  daughters.  The  party  had 
had  much  attention  naturally;  a  splendid  ovation  was 
given  to  my  grandfather,  and  in  Mexico  City  there  w^e 
f^tes,  receptions,  and  illuminations  on  the  pattern  of 
those  Europe  and  Asia  had  offered  him  a  few  years 
earlier.  I  fancy  he  did  not  especially  enjoy  these,  but 
the  ladies  did.  They  loved  the  "daumont"  carriages, 
the  parades  and  pretty  clothes,  Spanish  fans,  silver 
and  gold  filigree  work,  willing  young  Spanish  aides-de- 
camp, and  the  new  and  imexpected  customs  governing 
life  in  the  large  stone  palaces  where  Diaz's  will  was 
supreme  law.  The  latter  was  in  the  heyday  of  his  power 
and  talent  then,  and  he  and  my  grandfather  held  many  a 
serious  conference  which  influenced  American  relations 
with  Mexico  through  the  decades  which  followed,  and 
helped  on  friendly  understanding  and  constructive  work 
between  the  two  countries. 

All  the  party  shopped,  and  came  home  laden  with 
quaint  old  or  modem  creations  of  Spanish  hands  and 
brains.  Even  my  grandfather  made  a  purchase;  grand- 
mama  had  a  string  of  quite  large  pearls,  somewhat  irreg- 
ular but  of  lovely  sheen  and  color,  which  he  had  bought 
her  in  Mexico  City.  She  was  delighted  with  them  and 
he  was  pleased,  too,  I  remember.  I  was  deeply  impressed 
with  the  necklace,  because  I  was  taken  on  her  lap  and 
allowed  to  feel  its  weight  and  beauty.  She  told  me 
that  when  I  should  be  grown  up  the  pearls  would  be 
mine,  because  I  was  her  namesake;  and  my  grandfather 
added:  "Those  are  pearls  I  bought  for  Julia  Grant,  and 
you  are  Julia  Grant,  my  pet."  Through  the  years  there- 
after, whenever  I  was  near,  I  was  allowed  to  fasten  the 
necklace  on  grandmama,  and  always  as  he  looked  on, 


16  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

smiling,  my  grandfather  would  say:  "My  pet,  your 
grandmama  is  wearing  your  pearls  again.  Do  you  like 
her  to  wear  them  ?"    And  I  did. 

When  I  was  five  years  old  a  new  experience  came  in 
my  small  life.  We  spent  a  summer  with  my  mother's 
sister  and  my  uncle  Palmer  at  their  country  place  just 
outside  of  Chicago;  and  no  one  who  has  lived  in  the 
country,  always  taking  its  pleasures  for  granted,  can 
realize  the  joys  which  a  small  city  girl  finds  in  her  first 
prolonged  stay  among  trees  and  birds,  with  a  garden- 
patch  to  work  in  for  her  very  own,  and  lawns  to  sit  and 
roll  on;  two  boy  cousins,  also,  as  daily  companions.  It 
seemed  a  garden  of  paradise  we  lived  in  during  the  sum- 
mer of  1 88 1.  I  had  a  slight  illness,  caused  perhaps  by 
too  many  strawberries  or  cherries,  but  I  was  getting  well 
rapidly.  I  lay  in  bed  still  one  evening  in  a  little  room 
off  my  mother's,  and  was  to  be  allowed  up  definitely 
next  day  when  suddenly  my  lovely  aimty  came  in  and 
took  me  in  her  arms,  carrying  me  into  her  own  room,  "to 
pay  me  a  little  visit,"  she  said.  She  tucked  me  into  her 
own  big  bed,  where  I  fell  asleep. 

Early  the  next  morning  I  was  awakened  by  what  I 
thought  was  a  cat  mewing,  only  it  seemed  rather  loud. 
Then  nurse  came  in  and  told  me  to  dress  quickly  like  a 
good  girl,  because  there  was  to  be  a  surprise  for  the  two 
cousins  and  me  as  soon  as  we  were  ready.  I  asked  about 
that  cat;  maybe  there  was  one  lost  in  the  house  some- 
where, the  nurse  said.  She  was  distracted  and  uncom- 
municative. She  got  through  with  me  rapidly  and  sent 
me  into  my  aunt's  dressing-room,  where  the  latter  was 
doing  her  hair  while  talking  to  my  two  cousins,  who  were 
there  before  me,  and  who  looked  impressed.  I  joined 
them  with  a  beating  heart,  and  heard  that  a  brand-new 
baby  boy  had  arrived  in  the  house,  and  that  because  I 


CHILDHOOD  IMPRESSIONS  17 

had  no  brother,  while  the  two  cousins  had  one  another, 
this  baby  was  to  be  mine. 

I  grew  old,  with  swollen  importance,  as  I  listened.  It 
was,  indeed,  great  news!  One  of  the  cousins  took  it 
quietly,  while  from  the  other  came  a  storm  of  protest  and 
tears.  He  didn't  think  it  fair;  the  baby  was  bom  in 
their  house  and  ought  to  be  theirs;  I  was  a  girl  and 
always  was  given  everything,  anyhow;  and,  besides,  he 
was  the  eldest,  and  this  first  baby  should  by  right  go  to 
him.  I  trembled  with  anxiety  that  my  acquisition 
should  slip  from  me,  but  I  kept  a  dignified  silence  while 
the  question  was  thrashed  out.  I  felt  all  my  cousin's 
argtmients  to  be  both  just  and  good,  but,  nevertheless,  I 
wanted  to  keep  this  exceptional  possession  which  kind 
fortune  had  brought  me;  and  in  the  end  I  triumphed 
through  my  aunt's  decision  and  diplomacy.  We  had  a 
rapid  breakfast,  eaten  under  the  strain  of  intense  excite- 
ment and  impatience.  Then  we  were  marshalled  into  an 
expectant  procession,  with  my  aunt's  instructions  to 
walk  into  my  mother's  room  on  tiptoe,  sit  down  in  three 
chairs  which  we  should  find  there  by  the  door,  and  await 
the  baby.  We  might  look  at  him  but  in  silence,  and  at 
a  signal  from  our  gmde  we  must  then  march  out. 

We  carried  out  oiu*  orders,  and  soon  after  our  entrance 
there  appeared  from  my  own  old  room  a  nurse  holding  a 
bundle.  She  brought  it  over,  showed  a  tiny  sleeping 
face  first  to  the  eldest,  then  to  my  second  cousin,  who 
both  stared  with  interest.     Finally  she  came  on  to  me. 

*'Here  is  your  little  brother,  dear.  Would  you  like  to 
hold  him  ?"  she  asked.  Nearly  exploding  with  pride  and 
joy,  I  nodded  silently  as  hard  as  I  could,  and  she  put  the 
bundle  into  my  arms  without  quite  letting  it  go  herself. 
*'In  a  few  days  you  can  help  me  bathe  him,"  she  said, 
and  I  felt  I  had  discovered  a  new  heaven  and  a  new 


18  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

earth.  Soon  my  father  appeared,  and  he  said:  "Well, 
pet,  do  you  like  our  baby  brother?  He  is  yours,  you 
know." 

The  poor  disappointed  cousin  was  then  given  a  turn 
at  holding  the  baby,  which  consoled  him  a  little.  I 
imagine  he  didn't  mind  losing  him  when  he  saw  the  new 
boy  was  too  small  to  do  much  playing  yet.  We  were  all 
turned  out  into  the  garden  shortly  after  I  had  been  told 
to  kiss  my  mother  quietly,  as  she  had  a  headache.  She 
smiled  and  said  how  nice  it  was  the  little  brother  had 
come.  She  looked  very  pretty  but  seemed  tired,  and 
they  told  me  she  wouldn't  get  up  that  day. 

After  that  great  event  I  was  called  a  "big  girl,"  and 
was  supposed  always  to  put  on  and  button  my  own 
clothes,  and  do  various  other  small  things  for  myself. 
Mama  was  not  quite  strong  for  a  long  time.  The  baby 
was  named  Ulysses,  for  my  grandfather,  and  I  took  great 
delight  in  helping  with  his  toilet.  He  wore  my  White 
House  finery,  and  he  was  big  for  his  age,  every  one  said, 
and  very  pink  and  white  and  strong,  and  he  made  a  great 
racket  when  he  cried.  My  mother  was  anxious  about 
him  often  and  held  him  a  great  deal  in  her  arms,  and 
sometimes  when  he  wouldn't  be  quiet  my  father  would 
pick  him  up,  and  with  the  baby's  head  on  his  broad 
shoulder  he  would  croon  an  Indian  refrain  learned  out  on 
the  plains  long  ago.  Apparently  it  was  an  irresistible 
invitation  to  sleep.     I  heard  it  said  the  baby  loved  it. 

My  mother's  health  continued  fragile  still,  and  my 
father,  who  had  resigned  from  the  army,  brought  us  all 
on  to  New  York,  where  we  went  to  a  new  house,  3 
East  66th  Street — a  very  big  dark  house,  it  seemed  to 
me.  I  heard  with  great  interest  the  grown-ups  say  it 
was  given  my  grandfather  by  the  citizens  of  Philadelphia. 
Then  for  a  time  my  life  was  most  exciting.     I  was  very 


CHILDHOOD  IMPRESSIONS  19 

much  my  own  mistress,  as  our  nurse  was  constantly 
occupied  by  the  baby,  and  my  mother  was  not  strong 
enough  to  do  more  than  attend  to  him.  Various  Grant 
uncles  and  aunts  came  to  stay  in  the  house,  and  one 
aunt  I  had  not  known  before  came  from  England  to 
visit  my  grandparents.  She  was  Aimt  Nelly — Mrs.  Sar- 
toris — and  she  brought  with  her  three  children,  who 
spoke  awfully  funny  English.  They  had  a  nurse  and  a 
governess  who  were  very  severe  and  almost  incompre- 
hensible to  me  in  their  talk.  I  foimd  Aunt  Nelly  most 
sympathetic,  with  lovely  eyes  and  smile  and  a  gentle 
voice  and  very  caressing  manner,  and  she  always  wore 
soft  clothes.  I  never  saw  much  of  her  through  the  years 
which  followed,  but  this  impression  renewed  itself  always 
when  we  met. 

The  big  new  house  had  many  rooms.  All  the  lower 
floors  had  very  interesting  things  in  them,  about  which 
grandmama  told  stories.  For  instance,  the  library's 
books  were  a  gift  to  my  grandfather  from  the  city  of 
Boston,  and  the  beautiful  bindings,  richly  tooled  in  gold, 
were  a  joy  to  look  upon  in  their  ebony  bookcases.  A 
great  fire  constantly  burned  in  the  library  grate,  and  the 
flames'  light  played  on  the  black-and-gold  brocade  of  the 
furniture,  which  was  a  gift  from  the  Mikado  of  Japan. 
In  the  front  parlor  gold,  red,  orange,  green,  and  white 
were  woven  into  another  brocade  from  the  same  source, 
and  a  wonderful  gold-lacquer  cabinet,  eleven  hundred 
years  old  or  more,  stood  as  a  further  testimony  of  the 
Mikado's  enthusiasm.  Some  modem  lacquer  furniture, 
duplicate  of  a  set  used  by  the  Empress  in  the  imperial 
palace  in  Tokio,  had  been  given  grandmama.  Teak- 
wood  cabinets  stood  about,  covered  with  jade  or  porce- 
lain gifts  from  the  Chinese  Emperor  and  from  Li  Himg 
Chang,  his  wise  old  adviser.     Malachite  and  enamels 


20  MY  LIFjE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

there  were  from  Russia,  with  fine  gifts  from  England 
and  from  France.  Also  precious  documents,  the  freedom 
of  various  cities  abroad  laid  in  gold- wrought  or  bejewelled 
caskets,  with  medals  given  by  our  Congress,  swords  of 
honor,  and  many  more  souvenirs  of  a  wonderful  life 
filled  the  large,  quiet  rooms.  Little  by  little  I  learned  of 
their  meaning,  and  of  that  of  some  of  the  fine  portraits — 
Sheridan's  on  his  famous  ride,  and  several  pictures  of  my 
grandfather  in  one  rdle  or  another.  He  and  my  father 
were  now  going  into  a  banking  business  in  which  one  of 
my  uncles  was  interested;  the  firm  was  called  Grant  & 
Ward.  It  was  a  floiuishing  concern,  and  into  it  my 
grandfather  as  well  as  my  father  cheerfully  put  what 
they  had  saved,  by  careful  economy  from  their  army  pay. 
In  my  grandfather's  case,  even  the  fxmd  was  invested 
which  was  given  him  by  New  York  City  to  express  ap- 
preciation of  his  patriotic  service. 

My  mother  was  still  delicate,  and  to  strengthen  her 
we  moved  for  the  winter  to  a  pretty  cottage  at  Morris- 
town,  N.  J.  She  and  my  father  were  delighted  with  the 
place,  and  I  remember  very  well  how  interested  they 
were  in  furnishing  their  new  home,  and  how  attractive 
they  made  it,  even  to  my  inattentive  childish  eyes.  My 
mother  was  looking  quite  radiant  at  this  time — very 
young  still,  she  dressed  always  in  charming  and  becom- 
ing clothes.  She  was  much  admired  and  f^ted,  and  my 
father  was  enthusiastic  in  surroimding  her  with  all  the 
luxury  his  new  business  profits  could  offer,  thus  making 
a  frame  for  her  beauty.  Our  home  was  gay  with  visitors 
coming  and  going.  My  great  delight  was  in  our  horses, 
especially  one  pair,  which  my  father  drove  himself  in  a 
high  phaeton,  or  which  my  mother  drove  harnessed  to  a 
low  trap  which  he  gave  her.  She  had  always  been  an 
accomplished  and  graceful  horsewoman  in  her  youth. 


CHILDHOOD  IMPRESSIONS  21 

and  it  was  a  keen  delight  to  her  to  handle  the  ribbons 
again.  There  was  a  wonderful  sleigh,  too,  low,  on  Rus- 
sian or  Swedish  lines,  with  floating  red  horsehair  plumes 
and  tinkling  bells.  It  had  warm,  furry  robes.  Some- 
times I  was  allowed  to  drive  out  with  my  mother,  and  I 
was  delighted  then. 

Morristown  was  a  very  attractive  place  to  live,  and 
from  there  occasionally  we  visited  the  grandparents  again 
for  a  few  weeks,  either  in  New  York  or  at  their  seashore 
cottage  at  Elberon,  N.  J.  The  latter  was  paradise  to  us 
children.  On  one  comer  of  the  large  lawn  a  group  of 
pine-trees  sheltered  us  from  the  sim  and  made  an  ideal 
playground,  and  grandmama  had  had  **the  woods" 
fitted  up  with  a  swing  and  other  arrangements  dear  to 
our  hearts.  Besides,  each  child  had  a  tiny  garden-patch, 
where  flowers  and  vegetables  were  rivals  for  our  care; 
my  brother,  grown  a  healthy  toddler,  had  planted  a 
melon-vine  in  his  patch.  Every  time  he  reported,  in  say- 
ing good  night  to  grandmama,  that  a  flower  bloomed  on 
his  melon-plant,  he  could  be  sure,  next  morning  when  he 
ran  into  the  garden,  of  finding  that  in  the  blossom's  place 
lay  a  ripe  watermelon  or  a  canteloupe.  He  immediately 
carried  the  fruit  back  to  the  house  and  sold  it  to  his 
grandmother  for  ten  cents.  His  miraculous  vine  became 
a  family  classic !  There  were  big,  shady  balconies  with 
hammocks  at  Elberon,  and  on  one  of  these,  just  by  the 
stairway  leading  to  our  nurseries,  stood  a  small  barrel, 
kept  full  always  of  home-made  cookies,  prepared  espe- 
cially for  the  benefit  of  weary,  hungry  children.  Best  of 
all,  there  was  the  beach,  and  the  blue  ocean  to  paddle 
and  bathe  in.  And  all  these  pastimes  were  allowed  us 
through  long,  busy,  happy  days. 

Grandmama  still  let  me  go  in  and  help  her  dress. 
Besides,  there  was  an  offer  on  her  part  to  us  children,  a 


22  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

secret  arrangement  which  was  ideal,  according  to  which 
if  we  were  any  of  us  in  trouble,  or  were  not  permitted  to 
do  one  thing  or  another  as  we  wanted,  we  were  to  come 
to  her,  and  she  would  see  what  she  could  do  to  remedy 
the  situation. 

My  grandfather  evidently  enjoyed  us  very  much.  He 
continued  to  call  me  his  pet,  also  sometimes  to  sing  me 
the  old  Julianna  Johnson  song,  and  he  kept  me  with  him 
and  talked  to  me  a  great  deal.  A  wonderful  experience 
was  when  he  let  me  go  out  to  drive  in  his  buggy  with  the 
fast  trotters,  which  were  his  single  luxury.  I  stood  be- 
tween his  knees,  which  steadied  me,  and  held  the  reins 
out  in  front  of  his  hands,  and  found  skimming  over  the 
good  hard  road  as  great  a  joy  as  he  did.  He  introduced 
me  to  his  two  intimate  friends,  who  spent  a  great  deal 
of  time  at  the  house.  One  of  these  was  Mr.  George  W. 
Childs,  the  other  Mr.  Childs's  inseparable  and  devoted 
comrade,  Mr.  A.  J.  Drexel,  and  both  old  gentlemen 
were  very  nice  to  me.  Mr.  Childs  often  brought 
me  gifts,  which  I  loved.  My  first  gold  watch  and 
a  little  ring  which  I  wore  all  through  my  girlhood 
came  from  him.  We  had  long  talks  when  he  called,  and 
I  enjoyed  immensely  his  tales  of  his  early  struggle  as  a 
poor  boy,  and  how  Mr.  Drexel  and  he  had  built  up  their 
great  fortunes  in  Philadelphia,  one  in  the  banking  busi- 
ness and  the  other  through  his  newspaper.  Both  these 
men  spent  much  time  with  my  grandfather. 

A  person  who  at  Elberon  counted  himself  almost 
one  of  the  family  was  General  Horace  Porter.  He  had 
been  on  my  grandfather's  staff,  was  handsome,  dashing, 
with  a  charming  manner  and  keen  wit,  and  seemed  an 
acquisition  to  any  group.  He  was  developing  rapidly  at 
that  time  into  a  fine  business  man,  and  making  a  reputa- 
tion as  a  public  speaker,  also.     Another  one  of  my  grand- 


CHILDHOOD  IMPRESSIONS  %S 

father's  circle  at  Elberon  was  Mr.  George  M.  Pullman, 
already  at  the  head  of  his  great  business — a  strong,  grim 
personality,  with  a  glint  of  humor  sometimes  in  his  eye; 
a  very  different  type  from  the  gentle  one  of  Mr.  Childs, 
and  the  artistic,  quiet  temperament  of  Mr.  Drexel. 
Often  I  watched  the  group  gather  round  grandmama  at 
the  comer  of  the  piazza  which  commanded  the  best 
ocean  view  and  breeze.  She  and  my  'mother  talked 
gaily,  and  the  men  jbined  in.  My  grandfather  would  sit 
quietly,  his  face  relaxed,  an  amused  or  interested  look 
in  his  expressive  eyes.  He  talked  little,  but  now  and 
then  he  would  take  the  cigar  from  his  lips  and  place  a» 
few  words,  asking  a  pointed  question,  making  a  com- 
ment or  even  telling  some  anecdote,  always  with  the 
simple  manner  and  voice  habitual  to  him.  Politics  and 
other  serious  subjects  came  up,  too,  and  were  fully  dis- 
cussed, but  I  was  too  little  to  care  for  or  imderstand 
these. 

We  had  returned  to  Morristown,  and  the  spring  of 
1884  was  on.  One  day,  when  my  father  had  gone  as 
usual  to  town  and  my  mother  drove  to  meet  the  train 
by  which  he  ordinarily  returned,  he  did  not  arrive.  A 
friend,  coming  from  town,  seemed  surprised  to  see  her 
there  waiting  in  her  victoria,  and  approached  her,  asking 
if  she  had  not  had  a  telegram.  He  thought  perhaps  my 
father  might  be  kept  late,  he  said,  all  night  even,  but  he 
was  confused  in  his  explanations — ^with  evident  inten- 
tion. Anxious,  my  mother  returned  to  our  pretty  cot- 
tage, dined  alone  and  went  to  bed,  after  receiving  a 
strange  wire  which  told  her  almost  nothing  and  only 
created  vague  alarm. 

The  following  day  passed,  and  with  the  evening  my 
father  came  home  looking  very  weary,  pale,  and  troubled. 
He  hugged  me  as  always,  and  passed  on  with  my  mother 


24  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

to  their  up-stairs  sitting-room.  Her  cry  of  surprise  and 
distress  rang  out,  and  then  loud  questions  and  quiet 
replies  floated  to  the  hall  below,  where  we  children  sat, 
frightened.  When  they  came  down  my  mother's  eyes 
were  red,  and  she  told  me  to  go  to  bed  quickly — so  I 
went,  wondering  what  had  happened. 

Next  morning  I  learned.  We  hadn't  any  more  money 
at  all,  and  were  to  go  to  live  at  grandmama's,  who  seemed 
to  have  enough,  for  some  unknown  reason,  to  keep  her 
home,  while  we  must  give  up  ours.  To  me  it  was  com- 
pensation enough  for  any  trouble  to  go  and  visit  grand- 
mama,  but  as  the  days  passed  I  grew  to  feel  the  drama 
of  the  Grant  &  Ward  failure  and  to  see  how  much  my 
father  suffered  from  it.  He  went  to  town  earlier  and 
returned  later.  Our  horses  and  carriages  had  been 
driven  away  the  first  day  and  sold.  This  left  the  stable 
empty,  and  my  father  drove  to  and  from  his  trains  on 
the  box  seat  of  the  village  grocer's  wagon.  To  show  his 
sympatlfy  the  kindly  man  had  offered  to  carry  my  father. 
Every  day  packers  came  to  pack  and  move  some  of  our 
furniture.  It  would  have  been  fim  to  watch  this  were 
it  not  that  my  mother  spoke  so  sadly  of  each  thing  which 
went  into  barrel,  crate,  or  box,  and  wondered  when  she 
would  have  a  home  again.  Each  day  my  father  came 
back  to  ask  how  nearly  ready  we  were.  I  packed  and 
unpacked  my  toys  and  little  treasures  in  a  fever  of  ex- 
citement and  of  desire  to  help.  After  a  few  days,  per- 
haps a  week,  we  had  finished. 

The  house  stood  empty  as  we  left  it,  starting  to  Elbe- 
ron.  It  was  ojily  years  later  I  realized  the  heroism  of 
my  elders  at  that  time.  How  on  that  first  dreadful 
morning  when  my  father  and  grandfather  had  reached 
the  city  they  had  been  sent  for  by  my  uncle,  Ulysses, 
Jr.,  who  was  Ward's  partner  in  the  bank.     How  he  had 


CHILDHOOD  IIVIPRESSIONS  25 

told  them  Ward  had  run  away  with  all  the  funds  and 
that  the  firm  had  failed.  Practically  all  my  father  had 
was  in  this  company,  and  what  little  was  outside  he 
turned  at  once  into  the  common  till  to  pay  the  small 
investors.  My  grandfather,  in  the  same  position,  acted 
likewise.  His  house  in  town,  long  before  this,  at  his 
request  had  been  put  in  grandmama's  name  by  the  citi- 
zens of  Philadelphia,  and  he  had  given  her  the  Elberon 
cottage  during  his  presidency,  so  he  decided  she  should 
keep  those  for  the  moment  and  take  the  whole  family  in. 
As  a  last  resort  these,  too,  might  be  sold,  however,  to 
pay  the  debts  of  a  bank  which  bore  his  name,  and  where 
poor  people  had  invested  savings  because  of  the  confi- 
dence that  name  inspired.  All  his  outside  funds  were 
placed  in  the  till  drawer,  and  then  to  make  up  the  rest  of 
what  was  lacking  he  set  out  to  sell  what  he  personally 
possessed. 

I  have  often  heard  grandmama  tell  the  story  through 
the  years  which  followed,  and  if  I  remember  it  rightly  it 
was  this:  On  the  second  morning,  after  their  liabilities 
were  ascertained,  my  grandfather,  going  down-town  as 
usual,  proceeded  straight  to  the  office  of  old  Mr.  William 
H.  Vanderbilt.  There  he  sat  down  in  the  crowded  ante- 
room, awaiting  his  turn  to  see  the  great  financier.  Some 
one  coming  out  recognized  him,  and  told  the  attendant  of 
his  presence.  The  latter  went  into  the  private  office  and 
warned  Mr.  Vanderbilt  that  my  grandfather  was  in  the 
group  outside.     Instantly  the  old  gentleman  came  out. 

"Why,  general,  what  is  this?  You  waiting  here  for 
anything  ?     Come  right  in  with  me." 

And  my  grandfather  answered,  hesitating:  *'I  come 
with  a  petition,  like  the  rest." 

"Never  mind,  just  come  right  into  my  office  and  tell 
me  what  I  can  do  for  you." 


26  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

Once  inside,  he  added  that  he  had  heard  the  bad 
news,  and  again  asked  how  he  could  serve  my  grand- 
father, and  the  latter,  greatly  touched,  was  as  brief  as 
Mr.  Vanderbilt. 

"It  is  true,  all  that  you  heard.  The  firm  my  boy  was 
in  has  failed,  and  though  he  was  not  the  thief,  his  and  my 
name  were  connected  with  it  and  perhaps  inspired  de- 
positors to  put  in  their  money.  I  feel  responsible,  there- 
fore, and  I  must  pay  these  debts  at  once.  I  have  come 
to  you,  thinking  perhaps  you  would  lend  me  the  neces- 
sary sum,  and  accept  the  security  I  can  offer — my  gifts 
from  various  cities  and  the  sovereigns  of  Europe,  my 
swords  and  medals,  and  such  other  personal  property  as 
I  own." 

Mr.  Vanderbilt  replied :  "  I  am  touched  that  your  good 
feeling  and  confidence  in  me  brought  you  here  to-day. 
General  Grant.  I  shall  consider  it  an  honor  to  lend  you 
this  small  sirni,  and  I  will  accept  no  security  whatever — 
especially  not  the  trophies  and  honors  which  mark  the 
record  of  your  life." 

But  my  grandfather  was  obdurate;  he  said  he  knew  the 
security  he  offered  was  not  intrinsically  equal  to  what 
he  was  borrowing,  but  that  as  the  things  had  to  him  a 
sentimental  value,  he  would  feel  anxious  to  redeem  them 
quickly.  They  argued  for  some  time,  till  finally  the  rich 
creditor  gave  in  to  his  determined  debtor.  My  grand- 
father took  the  check,  paid  the  liabilities  ot  the  firm  for 
which  he  felt  responsible,  and  within  a  day  or  two  all  the 
treasures  from  our  house  cabinets  were  sent  off.  Mr. 
Vanderbilt  did  not  like  taking  them  or  keeping  them, 
and  he  again  protested,  but  in  vain.  Finally  he  returned 
them  to  grandmama;  I  think  during  my  grandfather's 
last  illness  or  just  after  his  death.  Grandmama  consid- 
ered she  should  not  keep  them,  and  with  the  consent  of 


CHILDHOOD  IMPRESSIONS  27 

the  whole  family — and  Mr,  Vanderbilt  also  acquiescing,  I 
believe — the  things  touching  my  grandfather's  public  life 
went  to  the  Smithsonian  Institution  in  Washington, 
while  the  swords  he  had  actually  used,  his  shirt-studs, 
and  so  on,  were  kept  by  the  family.  The  loan  was 
finally  repaid  from  the  money  my  grandfather's  memoirs 
brought  in. 

I  have  no  documents  to  go  by,  and  I  was  very  young 
when  all  this  happened,  but  I  heard  the  story  often  told 
by  grandmama,  and  I  repeat  it  as  it  returns  to  my  mind 
after  thirty-six  years. 

It  was  the  Grant  &  Ward  failure  which  took  us  defi- 
nitely into  my  grandparents'  household  to  live.  There 
we  remained  inmates  during  four  or  five  years.  My 
father  went  on  working  in  New  York,  and  in  his  spare 
hours  he  helped  my  grandfather  in  looking  up  war  rec- 
ords or  documents  among  the  latter's  old  papers.  These 
were  to  be  used  for  some  articles  my  grandfather  prom- 
ised to  a  magazine,  which  offered  him  an  unheard-of 
price,  $500,  for  a  series  of  several.  My  grandfather  was 
greatly  pleased  to  feel  his  power  to  support  his  home 
undiminished,  in  spite  of  the  loss  of  his  small  fortune. 

So  the  household,  though  augmented  by  additional 
m.embers,  leading  a  simpler  life,  perhaps,  and  run  with 
greater  economy,  was  still  a  contented  one,  courageous 
and  busy,  each  doing  some  share  toward  the  general 
comfort.  A  new  and  terrible  trouble  cloud,  however, 
gathered  gradually  over  our  heads. 

In  the  spring  of  1884  my  grandfather,  in  crossing  the 
sidewalk  from  his  house  to  his  carriage  one  morning,  had 
slipped  on  a  bit  of  orange  or  banana  peel,  had  fallen 
heavily,  and  had  done  his  hip  and  leg  an  injury.  Helped 
back  into  the  house,  a  few  days  of  care  had  prevented 
any  serious  developments,  but  he  was  left  with  a  slight 


28  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

limp  and  a  slowness  of  motion  in  rising  or  seating  him- 
self, and  this  trouble  caused  him  always  afterward  to 
use  a  cane.  The  loss  of  his  small  fortune,  with  his  con- 
sequent anxiety  as  to  the  obtaining  of  means  to  keep  his 
home  and  family  going,  preyed  on  his  mind.  The  diffi- 
culty of  paying  off  personally  all  the  small  creditors  of 
the  firm  was  a  still  greater  problem  for  his  keen  sense  of 
honor  to  solve,  and  when  the  ftmds  were  provided  by  the 
loan  from  Mr.  Vanderbilt — ^he  nevertheless  continued  to 
feel  he  must  redeem  that  obligation  immediately. 

The  hip  trouble  gave  him  some  pain,  and  held  him  to 
a  sedentary  life,  barring  him  practically  from  all  exercise. 
This  and  his  weight  of  care  aged  him  greatly.  The 
buggy  and  fast  trotters  of  earlier  days  became  an  impos- 
sible luxury,  and  my  grandfather  grew  gray  of  face  as 
well  as  of  hair  and  beard. 

When  we  moved  to  his  house  to  live,  I  was  for  the  first 
time  conscious  he  was  an  old  man  in  looks.  The  hair 
was  still  very  thick  and  it  waved,  his  face  was  not  much 
wrinkled,  but  it  showed  a  few  marked  lines  and  a  certain 
thinness,  with  less  color  than  before.  The  strength  of 
the  nose  was  more  apparent  than  ever;  long,  aquiline, 
well  shaped  and  distinguished,  its  character  emphasized 
by  the  fine  brow  with  rather  shaggy  eyebrows. 

My  grandfather  often  wore  a  slight  frown  in  those 
days,  which  grandmama  would  smooth  out  in  passing 
with  her  tiny,  beautiful  hand.  He  always  gave  her  a 
smile  then,  and  the  cloud  of  trouble  for  the  moment  was 
raised.  I  remember  his  smile  as  rather  out  of  the  ordi- 
nary, more  in  the  eyes  than  in  the  mouth,  for  I  do  not 
ever  recall  seeing  much  change  in  the  strong,  straight 
line  of  the  lips  and  jaw.  Only  the  eyes  glowed  or  grew 
deep  with  htunor  and  intensity.  Without  analyzing  them, 
for  I  was  not  old  enough  to  do  that,  the  impression 


CHILDHOOD  IMPRESSIONS  29 

remains  with  me  of  immense  reserve  power  for  action, 
for  enjoyment,  or  for  suffering — behind  a  mask  which, 
without  being  agitated,  reflected  all  sorts  of  sentiments 
and  responded  instantly  with  sympathetic  light  to  what 
was  going  on  round  him. 

He  was  small,  growing  old  with  his  lameness  and  his 
load  of  sadness,  yet  one  felt  his  face  and  figure  to  be  the 
centre  of  decision,  of  intellect  and  character,  in  a  group 
where  there  were  many  people  out  of  the  ordinary.  Sim- 
plest of  them  all,  he  was  their  master  both  in  greatness 
and  in  perfect  command  of  himself. 

He  never  thought  of  ordering  any  one  to  do  anything, 
never  raised  his  voice  or  asserted  himself;  but  one  saw 
the  respect,  almost  awe,  he  inspired,  and  the  devotion 
given  him  by  all  who  were  near. 

I  was  just  eight  years  old,  and  my  baby  brother  had 
grown  to  be  a  sturdy  toddler  of  three.  He  was  still  with 
our  nurse  constantly,  and  I  felt  immediately  independent 
by  comparison.  I  had  not  lost  my  place  with  the  grand- 
parents by  the  fact  that  we  had  been  living  away  from 
them  in  Morristown.  While  there  I  had  begim  to  take 
lessons,  including  drawing,  and  once  I  had  made  a  pic- 
ture of  some  fruit  in  a  basket,  which  I  sent  my  grand- 
father as  a  birthday  gift.  This  very  bad  drawing  brought 
me  a  delightful  letter  from  him,  and  I  had  also  previously 
received  another  letter.  I  was  so  proud  of  them  and 
read  them  so  often,  I  think  I  could  almost  repeat  them 
by  heart,  even  now  after  thirty-six  overcrowded  years 
have  passed.  Each  covered  the  whole  of  a  note-paper 
sheet  and  began:  "My  dear  big  pet." 

One  was  written  to  ask  me  how  my  lessons  were  get- 
ting on  and  to  encourage  me  at  them.  "You  and 
grandpa  will  have  to  read  together  when  you  come  here 
to  stay."     "Grandpa  expects  his  pet  to  know  how  to 


30  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

read  better  than  any  one  else  after  this  year's  work." 
"Have  you  forgotten  with  all  your  lessons  how  to  sing 
Julianna  Johnson?"  "The  buggy  and  fast  trotters  will 
be  waiting  to  take  us  driving  as  soon  as  vacation  time 
begins."  All  this  in  the  first  letter,  which  said  in  its 
last  paragraph  that  I  must  write  and  tell  him  what  I 
thought  would  be  nice  for  my  Christmas  presents,  "so 
grandpa  and  grandma  would  have  time  to  shop  for 
them." 

The  second  letter  said  at  the  beginning:  "Your  mother 
and  father  have  come  to  pay  us  a  visit,  and  we  are  very 
sorry  they  didn't  bring  you.  They  brought  me  inlstead 
the  beautiful  picture  you  made  me  for  my  birthday,  and 
I  hasten  to  thank  my  big  pet  for  all  the  trouble  she  took 
to  give  her  grandpa  such  a  fine  surprise.  Grandpa  hung 
the  present  up  where  he  can  see  it  all  the  time,  and  I 
hope  when  next  they  come  to  us,  your  father  and  mother 
will  bring  you  too.  Love  from  grandma  and  thanks 
again  from  grandpa." 

I  quote  these  passages  from  memory,  because  the 
letters,  which  had  been  preserved  through  years  in  my 
Russian  home,  stayed  in  Petrograd,  and  have  doubtless, 
with  all  the  other  small  treasures  of  family  life,  fallen 
into  Bolshevist  hands  to  be  destroyed. 

So  I  had  kept  in  touch  with  the  kind  grandparents, 
and  was  glad  that  loss  of  fortune  drew  us  back  into  their 
home  again.  We  children  took  up  a  care-free  life  on 
beach  and  lawn,  and  though  our  food  was  perhaps  ordi- 
nary, and  various  small  luxuries  were  suppressed,  I  sup- 
pose, I  remember  nothing  of  privation,  save  that  I  wore 
my  last  year's  summer  gowns — which  to  me  was  entirely 
satisfactory — and  that  the  fast  horses  did  not  exist  for 
my  grandfather  to  drive,  with  me  between  his  knees. 
These  t^te-a-t^te  parties  were  a  feature  of  our  life  I  did 


CHILDHOOD  IMPRESSIONS  31 

miss,  at  any  rate  in  the  beginning,  but  the  days  were 
short  and  full  of  pleasant  games,  and  we  loved  the  Elbe- 
ron  cottage,  anyhow. 

All  through  the  early  summer  my  father  travelled 
morning  and  evening  to  and  from  New  York,  busy  with 
some  work  for  which  he  was  paid  enough  to  make  a  con- 
tribution to  the  general  expenses  of  the  household.  But 
my  grandfather  no  longer  went  to  town.  A  httle  room, 
shady  and  cool,  furnished  in  simple  wicker  furniture, 
which  had  been  called  his  sitting-room  before,  was  re- 
named his  office  now,  and  we  children  were  told  to  make 
our  trips  upstairs  and  down  by  the  outside  balcony- 
stairs,  "as  grandpa  was  working."  Several  times  grave 
gentlemen  with  impressive  manners  came  to  the  cottage 
and  transacted  business  with  my  grandfather.  Once  or 
twice  they  stayed  to  limch,  and  though  every  one  was 
very  polite  and  talked  constantly,  I  had  a  feeling  that 
these  were  solemn  parties.  However,  after  each  visit 
grandmama  was  very  cheerful  and  triumphant,  and 
though  I  do  not  remember  any  expression  of  opinion 
from  my  grandfather,  I  know  now  how  relieved  and 
satisfied  he  must  have  been  that  his  articles  were  a  vast 
success,  were  clamored  for,  and  brought  him  large  checks. 
I  heard  also  he  was  being  begged  to  write  his  memoirs 
in  book  form,  and  had  received  very  flattering  proposi- 
tions. 

My  father,  General  Porter,  Mr.  Drexel,  and  Mr. 
Childs  were  always  conversing  about  *'the  book."  It 
was  to  be  begun  at  once,  and  grandpapa  was  to  give  his 
own  personal  record  of  the  Civil  War.  It  would  make 
him  rich,  every  one  said,  and  they  all  would  help  him 
to  look  up  any  data  he  needed  to  refresh  his  memory. 
My  grandfather  consented  readily,  glad  to  be  busy  and 
useful  still. 


32  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

This  was  the  state  of  thmgs  when  I  remember  occa- 
sional remarks  among  various  members  of  the  family,  or 
from  the  old  servants,  to  the  effect  that  he  was  not  feel- 
ing quite  well.  Some  one  said  he  had  taken  cold  and 
had  a  slight  sore  throat,  and  one  scrap  of  gossip  told  us 
that  he  hadn't  a  cold  but  had  felt  his  throat  hurting 
when  he  had  swallowed  a  small  bit  of  peach  skin  one 
day;  probably  something  was  on  the  peach  skin  which 
scratched  the  delicate  throat  tissues.  The  doctor  who 
was  called  in  said  ''smoker's  throat"  and  gave  a  medi- 
cine to  gargle  with.  I  assisted  at  the  gargling  often, 
and  thought  the  whole  thing  interesting;  only  I  was 
sorry  my  grandfather  was  not  quite  well.  He  was  the 
first  grown-up  I  had  heard  of  as  being  ill;  and  as  he 
moved  about,  always  quite  dressed,  while  he  kept  his 
usual  gentle  smile  and  kindly  word  for  me,  I  was  not 
anxious.  I  do  not  think  any  others  of  the  family  circle 
were  so,  at  that  time. 

We  children  ate  at  a  small  table  in  the  comer  of  the 
dining-room,  an  hour  or  so  before  our  parents  had  their 
meals.  The  nurses  served  my  cousins  and  me  to  dishes 
which  were  brought  us  by  Charley,  a  young  son  of 
grandmama's  old  colored  butler,  Harrison.  Charley  was 
a  friend  and  comrade  to  us,  and  our  meals  were  very 
gay;  also,  we  were  deeply  interested  in  Charley's  future, 
for  if  his  father  and  he  made  enough  by  the  time  he 
was  eighteen  he  was  to  go  to  college,  "and  not  just  be 
a-servin'  round  a  house,"  old  Harrison  said. 

One  day  the  usual  conversation  was  being  carried  out 
under  the  usual  conditions — our  French  Louise  urging  us 
to  hurry  and  finish  our  noon  beef  and  potatoes,  "so  when 
all  the  ladies  and  gentlemen  came  to  their  luncheon  we 
should  not  be  found  still  sitting  there  and  be  ignomini- 
ously  chased  away";  and  we  children,  as  usual,  were 


CHILDHOOD  IMPRESSIONS  33 

dawdling.  Quite  suddenly  a  great  rumbling  like  thun- 
der began,  to  our  amazement,  since  the  weather  was 
clear  and  fine;  then  the  most  curious  thing  occiured: 
the  whole  room — floor,  tables,  chairs,  and  cupboards — 
heaved  and  rolled.  On  the  table  things  slid  or  rocked, 
and  some  of  the  glasses  containing  our  milk  were  over- 
turned. I  recall  the  swinging  chandelier,  and  that  some 
glasses  and  plates  which  stood  in  a  glass-doored  cupboard 
opposite  me  rang  out  one  against  another  as  they  fell. 
Louise  pulled  my  brother  from  his  high  chair. 

My  mother  burst  into  the  room,  seized  the  boy  from 
his  nurse's  arms,  and  rushed  toward  the  door,  which 
opened  on  the  balcony,  calling  me  to  follow  quickly,  and 
to  get  out  of  the  house  before  it  fell.  It  was  an  earth- 
quake !  I  found  my  legs  easily  and  at  once,  and  joined 
my  mother.  Fright  lent  wings  to  my  obedience.  I  had 
not  realized  what  the  matter  was,  having  never  known 
an  earthquake  before;  and  as  I  had  never  been  at  sea, 
either,  I  had  no  point  of  comparison  for  this  queer  new 
sensation  of  a  tottering  universe.  I  had  sat  petrified, 
holding  my  milk  glass  with  both  hands  to  keep  it  straight, 
wondering  at  and  scarcely  fearing  the  amazing  experi- 
ence— till  my  mother's  voice  gave  the  enemy  a  name 
and  told  of  danger. 

On  the  lawn,  where  we  stepped  from  the  low  balcony, 
we  were  at  first  the  only  members  of  the  household. 
Just  as  the  moving  and  rumbling  stopped,  various  people 
appeared — Louise  with  our  baby's  sunbonnet;  grand- 
mama  with  an  exclamation  that  it  reminded  her  of 
Japan  and  Mexico,  and  probably  there  would  immedi- 
ately be  another  shock.  My  grandfather,  cane  in  hand, 
and  my  father  at  his  side  came  from  the  office,  and  I 
remember  my  father  saying  laughingly  to  my  mother 
as  she  and  I  turned  back  toward  them:  ''What  were  you 


S4  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

going  to  do  about  saving  me  from  the  earthquake?  I 
was  just  as  much  in  danger  as  the  children."  And  she 
answered  him  he  was  such  a  big,  strong  man  she  thought 
he  would  be  able  to  take  care  of  himself.  Whereupon 
the  group  accused  her  of  having  forgotten  her  husband, 
and  so  on,  and  I  lost  track  of  their  conversation.  While 
they  went  back  to  the  house  we  children  ran  off  to  see 
how  angry  and  choppy  the  sea  had  become.  It  did  look 
very  dark  and  heavy,  with  whitecaps  all  over  the  sur- 
face, which  we  had  left  so  placid  when  at  noon  we  had 
gone  in  to  our  dinner. 

It  seemed  as  if  my  grandfather  was  ever  growing  more 
quiet,  and  as  autimm  came  he  occasionally  mentioned 
that  his  throat  was  no  better,  and  must  be  treated  after 
the  family  moved  to  town.  Also,  now  and  then,  some 
member  of  the  family  would  say  to  another  that  my 
grandfather  had  a  headache.  They  attributed  it  to  his 
present  sedentary  life,  the  trouble  to  which  his  hip  put 
him  in  walking,  or  the  concentration  needed  in  writing 
the  book.  The  talk  always  ended  in  remarks  about 
how  fine  the  book  was  as  an  occupation  for  him — ^his 
deep  interest  in  it,  and  the  satisfaction  it  would  be  to 
him  in  his  old  age  to  see  himself  and  his  family  more 
comfortably  fixed  than  ever  before  by  the  work  of  his 
own  brain. 

I  was  allowed  once  in  a  while  to  go  into  the  office.  A 
large  new  white  deal  kitchen-table  stood  against  one 
wall,  on  which  lay  various  books  and  documents.  Sev- 
eral people — ^my  father.  General  Porter,  a  secretary,  and 
my  grandfather  himself — talked  of  these  and  looked  at 
them  from  time  to  time;  then  they  discussed  a  date  or  a 
movement  of  troops.  Opposite  this  table  was  a  fire- 
place, and  on  one  side  stood  a  small  sofa,  on  the  other 
a  wicker  armchair.     In  the  latter  my  grandfather  sat 


CHILDHOOD  IMPRESSIONS  35 

when  he  did  not  sit  at  his  large  desk,  which  had  its  place 
in  the  centre  of  the  room.  Between  the  windows  stood 
another  smaller  desk,  where  a  secretary,  a  personage  new 
to  me,  sat  always.  Sometimes  my  grandfather  was 
writing,  or  he  would  take  a  pencil  and  draw  a  small  dia- 
gram or  make  a  note.  To  do  this  he  occupied  the  mid- 
dle desk's  chair.  Sometimes  from  the  deep  armchair  he 
would  dictate  to  the  secretary  instead.  One  wall  of  the 
room  was  occupied  by  many  books  standing  in  lines  on 
plain  pine  shelves.  A  clock  and  more  papers  were  on 
the  mantel  and  a  white  matting  covering  the  floor  com- 
pleted the  furnishings,  while  two  windows  thrown  wide 
open  showed  a  shady  balcony,  vine-covered,  and  a 
glimpse  of  Mr.  Childs's  cottage  with  the  blue  sea — a  very 
attractive  frame  for  work  hours. 

My  grandfather  would  always  draw  me  to  him  when 
I  went  in,  with  his  habitual  gentle  manner,  and  would 
say,  "Good  morning,  my  pet.  It  was  nice  you  thought 
of  paying  grandpa  a  little  visit";  and  he  would  add  in 
answer  to  my  question,  "Grandpa  is  well  to-day,"  or 
"better  to-day";  and  with  a  kiss  and  a  quiet  stroking  of 
my  cheek  or  hair  he  would  let  me  go.  The  secretary  was 
very  nice,  too,  and  he  showed  me  how  he  took  down 
shorthand  or  typed  with  a  machine,  which  would  prob- 
ably make  a  self-respecting  stenographer  to-day  feel  dis- 
couraged at  sight.  The  secretary  and  I  had  several 
talks,  and  I  gathered  he  felt  it  a  great  honor  to  be  placed 
with  my  grandfather,  which  pleased  me  very  much.  I 
was  used  to  my  grandfather's  being  considered  above 
other  men;  but  because  I  only  knew  him  personally  as 
so  quiet  and  modest,  I  was  always  somewhat  dazed  by 
any  fuss  outsiders  made  round  him.  It  was  difficult  to 
realize  at  my  age  much  about  his  being  a  general  or  a 
President. 


86  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

I  remember  sitting  on  the  lower  step  on  the  stairs  one 
day,  near  his  office  entrance  from  the  hall.  His  door 
opened,  and  my  grandfather  came  out,  crossed  the  hall, 
and  took  his  hat  from  the  table.  He  saw  me  and  said: 
''Well,  my  pet,  I'm  glad  to  see  you;  what  are  you  doing 
there  ?"  I  returned  both  his  compliment  and  the  query, 
to  which  he  replied:  "I'm  going  out  for  a  little  walk." 
Then  I  inquired:  "Well,  have  you  told  grandmama  you 
were  thinking  of  going  out,  grandpapa?"  "Why,  no, 
my  pet,  I  don't  really  believe  I  have.  Now  you  men- 
tion it,  I  will,  though,  at  once."  He  went  up  the  little 
flight  of  steps  to  their  bedroom  hall,  and,  knocking  on 
grandmama 's  door,  he  went  in  and  shut  it.  His  eyes  had 
their  most  amused  smile  as  he  passed  me.  Inside  the 
room  I  heard  his  gentle,  cheerful  voice  address  my 
grandmother. 

"Mrs.  G.,  things  have  come  to  a  pretty  pass;  even  our 
little  granddaughter  seems  to  have  learned  who  really  is 
the  boss,  and  she  has  just  advised  me  quite  seriously  to 
come  and  ask  your  permission  to  go  for  a  walk."  And 
they  both  laughed  and  said  other  things,  farther  away 
from  the  door,  so  I  could  no  longer  hear.  He  came  out 
soon,  and  telling  me  grandmama  allowed  him  to  go,  he 
invited  me  to  accompany  him.  After  that  I  heard  the 
story  of  our  conversation  retailed  all  over  the  house, 
always  with  more  gaiety  than  I  could  understand,  as  I 
had  thought  it  quite  a  simple  matter. 

Soon,  for  some  reason,  my  father  gave  up  going  to 
town  for  his  work,  and  he  became  a  constant  inmate  of 
my  grandfather's  office.  I  did  not  entirely  comprehend 
why  this  change  occurred,  but  heard  that  with  his  hip 
injured  it  was  hard  for  the  elderly  author  to  move  about 
after  documents,  maps,  and  books,  while  dictating  was 
fatiguing  his  voice  and  throat.     The  latter,  if  anything, 


GENERAL  U.   S.   GRANT  AND  FAMILY  AT  ELBERON,   N.  J. 
Princess  Cantacuzene  and  Colonel  U.  S.  Grant  are  the  two  children. 


CHILDHOOD  IMPRESSIONS  37 

pained  him  more  than  ever.  Therefore,  now,  my  father, 
who  had  Hved  through  those  war  experiences  with  the 
general,  was  going  to  take  off  the  latter's  hands  all  the 
necessary  research  work  and  give  his  entire  time  to  this 
congenial  task  of  helping  the  book  forward,  thus  saving 
his  father  fatigue  and  strain,  whether  in  explaining  what 
the  latter  wanted  to  a  stranger,  who  knew  nothing  of  the 
necessary  references,  or  in  hunting  up  each  date  and 
map  himself. 


CHAPTER  II 

MY  GRANDFATHER'S   ILLNESS  AND  DEATH 

EARLY  that  autumn  we  all  moved  up  to  my  grand- 
parents' New  York  house.  My  grandfather  seemed 
to  be  feeling  quite  imwell.  Either  his  hip  or  throat 
or  headaches  were  to  blame;  and  because  of  this  a  new 
arrangement  of  the  second-floor  rooms  occurred,  and  an 
office  was  installed  up  there  on  the  lines  of  the  one  at 
Elberon,  except  that  a  second  big  desk  was  added,  where 
my  father  was  permanently  established.  The  office  was 
in  the  smaller  of  the  two  front  rooms.  The  larger  front 
room  was  made  my  grandfather's  bedroom,  instead  of 
grandmama's,  as  it  had  been,  while  she  moved  into  the 
back  room,  with  folding  doors  open  between.  The  small 
room  off  her  bedroom  was  arranged  as  a  sitting-room  for 
her. 

I  remember  no  parties  that  winter.  At  first,  every 
morning  early,  my  grandfather  went  down-town  to  have 
his  throat  treated;  then  he  returned  and  went  to  work 
on  the  book,  dictating  and  writing.  Late  afternoon 
found  him  always  for  two  or  three  hours  in  grandmama's 
sitting-room,  listening  to  her  and  those  who  surrounded 
her,  all  talking  gaily.  My  mother  was  looking  very 
pretty,  feeling  well,  and  was  always  well  surrounded. 
Later  in  the  winter  my  Aunt  Nelly  came  from  England 
and  stayed  in  the  house.  Many  great  men  passed  hoiu-s 
in  that  up-stairs  sitting-room,  came  in  the  afternoon  and 
were  kept  over  for  the  family  dinner,  with  old-fashioned 
informal  hospitality.     Sometimes  several  of  these  would 

S8 


MY  GRANDFATHER'S  ILLNESS  AND  DEATH        39 

break  away  from  the  group  roxind  the  fire  and  go  off  to 
the  office  to  discuss  some  point  on  which  they  differed, 
perhaps,  as  to  the  hour  of  a  troop  movement  or  something 
else  concerning  some  chapter  of  the  book. 

General  Sherman  was  a  constant  guest.  He  talked  a 
lot,  was  tall  and  vital,  with  a  distinguished  face,  his 
head  well  poised,  and  he  had  a  charming,  confiding  man- 
ner. He  never  forgot  he  had  given  my  mother  her 
diploma  when  she  graduated  at  Georgetown  Convent,  or 
that  she  had  been  head  of  her  class  there.  His  special 
allegiance  went  to  her  always  in  a  pretty  compliment, 
but  he  was  delightful  to  all,  and  a  great  resource  to 
grandmama,  with  whom  he  chummed  admirably,  whether 
in  her  serious  or  lighter  moods.  Probably  he  read  what 
an  intense  anxiety  was  beginning  to  pierce  the  calm  siu*- 
face  of  the  family  circle,  and  he  came  and  came  again. 
So  did  others,  with  the  same  feeling  of  bringing  a  distrac- 
tion or  a  comfort  to  this  vague  trouble.  Seeing  grand- 
mama's  worry  over  my  grandfather's  silence,  which  she 
attributed  to  pain,  I  remember  that  one  day  when  her 
husband  having  left  the  room  she  mentioned  this.  Gen- 
eral Sherman,  walking  up  and  down,  said  to  her:  "But 
the  general  was  always  silent,  Mrs.  Grant.  Even  at  the 
worst  times  of  strain,  during  the  war,  I  used  to  go  to 
see  him  at  his  headquarters,  and  he  would  sit  perfectly 
still,  like  he  did  here  to-day.  I  just  walked  up  and 
down  and  swore  then;  and  I'm  stire  it  did  your  husband 
lots  of  good,  ma'am,  and  relieved  his  mind  to  have  me 
do  it  for  him."  Grandmama  laughed  and  was  consoled. 
General  "Black  Jack"  Logan  came  often  to  sit,  too;  si- 
lent at  first  sometimes,  then  breaking  into  hot  eloquence 
over  some  army  memory,  some  occasion  where  my  grand- 
father's genius  had  shone. 

As  the  winter  advanced,  General  Buckner,  from  whom 


40  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

my  grandfather  had  captured  Fort  Donelson  in  1862,  and 
several  other  opponents  of  old  war  days,  took  the  trouble 
to  show  their  sympathy  by  joining  the  group  in  grand- 
mama's  sitting-room  on  one  occasion  or  another,  for  a 
talk  with  their  conqueror. 

My  babyhood  acquaintance.  General  Sheridan,  reap- 
peared on  the  scene,  stouter  and  ruddier  than  I  recalled 
him  in  the  old  days,  and  with  rather  whiter  hair.  He 
had  kept  his  charm  of  voice  and  smile,  and  was  intense 
always  in  his  attitude  of  devotion.  There  were  others 
with  army  titles,  but  my  memory  does  not  retain  their 
names.  There  were  many  civilians,  too.  Handsomest 
of  these  was  Senator  Roscoe  Conkling — tall,  imposing, 
with  fine  gray  curls,  grizzled  beard,  and  his  head  thrown 
well  back.  He  was  so  distinguished-looking  as  to  hold 
his  companions  somewhat  in  awe.  I  do  not  remember 
what  he  said — did  not  understand  it  very  well — ^but  when 
he  talked  every  one  listened,  and  seemed  greatly  to  enjoy 
it,  and  he  often  talked. 

One  frequent  visitor  frightened  me  dreadfully — Mark 
Twain,  with  his  shaggy  mane  of  long  white  hair,  waving 
or  carelessly  tossed  about  his  low  brow,  and  his  protrud- 
ing eyebrows,  which  almost  hid  the  deep-set  eyes  shining 
beneath  them.  He  seemed  long  and  rather  lanky,  per- 
haps because  I  was  still  quite  small,  and  he  had  a  vague 
way  of  strolling  into  a  room  and  moving  about  without 
seeming  to  aim  for  any  special  spot.  Seated,  he  leaned 
Vay  back,  with  crossed  legs,  and  his  chin  thrown  up  a 
little;  so  he  looked  at  one  as  from  a  height,  his  lids  half 
lowered.  He  shook  hands,  always  rather  crushing  my 
small,  pudgy  paw,  and  he  would  eye  me  with  his  whim- 
sical expression,  probably  not  even  thinking  of  me  as 
he  did  so.  Then  he  would  slowly  drawl  out  some  re- 
mark, in  a  curious,  rather  bored,  monotone  voice.     Some- 


MY  GRANDFATHER'S  ILLNESS  AND  DEATH         41 

how,  though  I  did  not  dare  say  it,  I  got  the  idea  he  was 
a  crazy  man,  and  I  would  draw  close  to  one  or  another 
of  the  grown-ups  when  he  was  around.  I  think  I  never 
would  have  had  the  courage  to  be  in  the  same  room  with 
Mark  Twain  alone.  I  remember  once  the  following  sum- 
mer at  Mount  McGregor  he  came  upon  me  in  the  garden 
where  I  was  playing,  and  as  he  spoke  to  me  I  turned, 
saw  him,  and  fied  screaming  to  the  cottage-door,  without 
replying.  Since  then  I  have  frequently  regretted,  in 
reading  his  great  contributions  to  American  literature, 
that  I  had  behaved  so  stupidly;  for  it  was  a  wonderful 
chance  I  lost  of  hearing  the  best  story-teller  of  our  gen- 
eration tell  me  a  tale,  to  be  repeated  with  pride  to  my 
own  child  or  grandchild  later. 

A  quaint  figure  was  that  of  Senor  Rom6ro,  the  Mexi- 
can minister  to  the  United  States — a  tiny  thin  body  with 
a  rather  large  bald  head,  a  long  nose,  black  eyes,  and 
very  small  hands  and  feet.  He  suffered  from  dyspepsia, 
and  was  very  sallow-skinned.  His  quaint  type  and  the 
deep  gray  shadows  in  his  face  interested  me.  He  gen- 
erally said  almost  nothing,  but  would  draw  up  a  small 
chair  in  a  modest  comer,  and  would  sit  watching  my 
grandfather  for  hours  with  a  face  full  of  sad  devotion. 
Senator  Leland  Stanford  came  and  talked  of  things  in 
California,  opening  up  vistas  like  fairy-tales,  with  bril- 
liant glimpses  of  Far  Western  life,  where  sun,  moun- 
tains, great  trees,  flowers,  fruit,  and  gold  disputed  first 
place  in  the  ideas  he  gave  me. 

Still  others  came  to  my  grandparents*  house  in  those 
days,  but  somehow  these  are  the  only  figures  which  stand 
out  marked  in  my  child's  memory  as  I  look  back  over 
thirty-five  years.  One  name,  that  of  Jefferson  Davis,  I 
remember  hearing  of  as  having  given  my  grandfather 
great  pleasure  by  coming,  or  by  a  message  sent. 


42  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

Of  the  family,  I  remember  my  mother  was  exces- 
sively slender  and  pretty,  and  my  father  had  grown  a 
beard  and  seemed  older;  also,  he  seemed  always  very 
busy.  Even  when  my  grandfather  was  free  to  come  and 
sit  a  while,  my  father  generally  came  in  with  him,  stayed 
a  little,  and  then  went  quietly  back  to  the  office,  where 
the  secretary  and  also  General  Badeau  were  deep  in 
papers. 

Somehow — ^without  my  child's  memory  establishing  a 
date,  however — there  was  soon  a  change  in  my  grand- 
father and  in  the  family  life  arotmd  him.  He  was  no 
longer  going  down-town,  or  going  out  at  all,  in  fact ;  and 
a  good  deal  of  the  time  he  was  in  a  dressing-gown  and 
wore  a  scarf  round  his  neck,  thrown  back  loosely.  Also 
he  came  less  and  less  to  the  sitting-room,  and  never  sat 
at  his  desk  in  the  office  any  more.  A  big,  soft  leather 
armchair  appeared  in  his  bedroom,  with  a  pillow  in  it, 
and  it  was  said  before  me  that  he  could  not  sleep  lying 
down,  so  that  he  spent  his  nights  in  that  great  chair 
sitting  upright.  He  often  wore  a  soft  knitted  cap  when 
his  head  ached;  and  he  had,  on  a  small  table  by  him,  a 
bottle  or  two,  a  cup  of  water  and  a  little  empty  dish, 
together  with  a  small  pad  and  a  well-sharpened  pencil. 

He  did  not  at  all  stop  work,  but  always  wrote  for  the 
usual  ntimber  of  hours  each  day.  Sometimes  he  would 
walk  about  the  room  and  even  through  the  corridor  to 
the  sitting-room,  generally  with  his  hand  on  my  father's 
arm.  He  was  quite  silent,  usually,  and  wrote  on  the 
small  pad  anything  he  wanted  to  say.  Now  and  then, 
when  in  the  other  rooms  or  without  this  means  of  con- 
veying his  thought,  in  a  strained  voice  he  would  say 
with  effort  a  word  or  two;  but  he  enjoyed  the  family 
group  and  would  listen  with  vivid  eyes  as,  for  his  benefit, 
added  color  was  infused  into  the  conversation. 


MY  GRANDFATHER'S  ILLNESS  AND  DEATH        43 

I  still  enjoyed  my  privileges.  If  I  was  in  the  sitting- 
room  my  little  chair  was  drawn  close  to  my  grandfather's 
and  he  would  stroke  my  hair  or  cheek  or  hold  my  hand  a 
little  while.  I  remember  how  beautiful  his  hands  were — 
large,  classic,  with  long,  capable  fingers  and  perfect  nails, 
to  which  Nature  had  left  nothing  for  the  manicure  to  do. 
The  hands  looked  strong,  and  so  did  the  wonderful  face 
with  its  quiet,  firm  expression  of  mouth  and  deep  eyes, 
calm  in  spite  of  his  constant  pain.  When  he  would  go 
off  from  the  sitting-room  some  one  of  the  remaining  cir- 
cle always  asked  how  he  was,  and  another  would  reply 
sadly:  "No  better." 

Once  a  stranger,  whom  I  do  not  recall  by  name,  said 
something  about  morphine.  '*He  would  not  take  it," 
came  the  reply.  ''The  only  thing  he  is  willing  to  try  is 
now  and  again  to  have  a  light  exterior  application  of 
cocaine  painted  over  the  sore  itself.  It  is  especially 
hard,  because  he  is  forced  now  to  write  every  scrap  of  his 
memoirs  in  person;  no  voice — ^he  cannot  dictate." 

Then  my  mother  told  of  the  life  in  the  two  front 
rooms.  It  seems  my  father  spent  twenty-three  out  of 
twenty-four  hours  there,  sleeping  on  a  sofa  in  the  office, 
always  dressed  and  ready  to  spring  to  his  father's  side  if 
the  latter  woke  at  night  and  wanted  to  write.  My 
grandfather  evidently  had  to  work  during  what  hours 
he  could,  as  the  pain  subsided,  permitting  him  to  do  so 
by  chance;  and  whenever  such  a  period  came  my  father 
was  there,  gentle  and  smiling,  to  help  look  up  a  date  or 
to  verify  a  statement,  hand  a  pillow,  or  do  anything 
else  he  could.  To  sympathize  with  his  father  was  the 
son's  one  desire,  and  my  mother  said  it  was  unhealthy 
for  my  father  to  be  awake  and  working  thus  day  after 
day,  keeping  himself  alive  with  black  coffee;  but  she 
could  do  nothing  with  him,   she  added,   and  he  only 


44  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THEBE 

answered  her  protests  by  absolutely  declaring  he  meant 
to  go  on  aiding  his  father  to  the  end. 

I  was  allowed  to  enter  the  sick-room  and  stand  about 
at  times.  Once  I  w^andered  in  and  stood  in  a  corner 
watching,  and  it  appeared  to  me  my  father  was  as  strong 
and  as  gentle  as  any  nurse,  and  that  my  grandfather 
seemed  to  feel  confidence  and  depend  on  his  big  son. 

The  doctors  came  to  the  patient  now,  and  I  stood 
by  once  and  saw  how  they  examined  his  throat  and 
painted  it. 

The  winter  wore  on  and  my  grandfather  grew  worse 
steadily.  He  remained  constantly  in  his  room.  With 
strict  orders  given  me  to  make  no  noise,  not  even  to 
talk,  and  to  come  right  out  again,  occasionally  I  was 
allowed  in.  One  noticed  a  great  change;  the  face  was 
pale  and  drawn  and  the  fine  hands  were  very  thin. 
When  he  was  not  writing  they  lay  open  on  the  arms  of 
his  chair,  extremely  still;  or  else  with  a  slow,  quiet 
movement  he  would  open  and  close  his  hands,  rubbing 
the  thumb  over  the  closed  fingers  backward  and  forward. 
It  was  never  a  jerky  motion,  but  one  as  if  he  were  think- 
ing, much  as  a  well  man  walks  quietly  up  and  down 
while  he  thinks.  Never  did  any  one  mention  an  impa- 
tient word  or  gesture  on  his  part,  and  his  two  doctors — 
one  of  whom.  Doctor  Shrady,  I  liked  very  much — ^were 
always  saying  it  was  wonderful  how  he  stood  the  days 
of  agony  and  the  long  sleepless  nights.  He  would  never 
take  anything  to  give  him  respite,  as  they  had  often 
begged  him  to  do.  Also,  every  one  spoke  of  the  wonder- 
ful work  he  was  still  doing,  and  of  his  chapters,  which 
were  piling  up,  and  how  his  strength  held  out. 

Two  or  three  times  there  were  sinking  spells,  and  a 
frightened  family  gathered  about  him,  fearing  the  end; 
but  he  rallied,  and  even  occasionally  seemed  for  a  few 


MY  GRANDFATHER'S  ILLNESS  AND  DEATH         45 

days  to  show  an  appreciable  improvement.  I  remember 
on  the  27th  of  April  there  was  a  birthday  dinner  for  him; 
all  the  family  were  gathered  and  a  few  friends  besides.  I 
was  allowed  to  sit  up  for  the  grown-ups'  meal,  and  to 
have  some  of  their  ice-cream — a  rare  treat  which  im- 
pressed me  more  than  did  the  few  guests,  among  whom  I 
seem  to  recall  the  faces  of  General  Sherman  and  Mark 
Twain  again,  with  my  grandmother's  dehght  that  some 
unexpected  remark  of  the  latter  had  created  a  general 
laugh  in  which  my  grandfather  had  joined.  I  may  be 
confusing  this  with  another  dinner  earlier  that  season, 
however,  as  there  were  two  or  three  such. 

Again,  an  incident  which  stands  out  in  my  memory  is 
that  one  evening  before  dinner  a  frightful  series  of  howls 
was  heard  in  the  hall  outside  grandmama's  door.  She, 
who  always  asserted  we  children  were  much  too  sup- 
pressed by  our  parents  and  nurses,  rushed  out  from  her 
room  in  a  dressing-gown,  my  mother  appearing  in  the 
same  array  on  the  staircase  above,  while  even  my  grand- 
father, cane  in  hand,  opened  his  door,  and  my  father 
came  from  the  office,  having  dropped  his  work  in  haste 
at  the  evident  agony  in  his  small  son's  voice.  I  sat  on 
the  steps,  since,  when  the  racket  began,  we  were  follow- 
ing our  nurse  up  to  our  rooms  from  our  own  early  dinner. 
Vv^ivh  the  crowd  assembled  and  with  grandmama  implor- 
ingly begging  the  three-year-old  to  dry  his  tears  and  con- 
fide his  trouble  to  her,  young  Ulysses  straightened  out 
his  wrinkled  face,  opened  his  eyes,  and,  looking  straight 
at  her,  answered:  "Want  an  appul !" 

It  seemed  grandma  had  secretly  instructed  him  to 
"shout  and  make  a  noise"  when  he  wanted  anything,  so 
she  proceeded  to  make  good  by  sending  for  the  apple; 
but  my  mother's  indignation  and  humiliation  were  very 
great !     My  grandfather  had  watched  the  scene  with  de- 


46  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

light,  and  referred  to  it  several  times,  saying,  "That  boy 
knows  how  to  manage  women";  and  finally,  "I'm  afraid 
Ida  will  have  to  spank  that  youngster  of  hers";  but  he 
liked  both  the  vigor  and  the  wit  of  the  sturdy  little 
grandson  who  bore  his  name,  and  my  father  was  not  dis- 
pleased with  anything  which  brought  a  ray  of  light  to 
the  invalid's  tired  eyes. 

Toward  spring  all  sorts  of  things  which  interested  us 
children  began  to  happen  outside  the  house.  An  army 
of  reporters  camped  on  our  sidewalk,  watching  the  win- 
dows of  the  second-floor  front.  Incidentally,  they  ques- 
tioned every  one  who  came  out  of  the  front  door,  and 
we  children  received  a  large  share  of  attention  whenever 
we  appeared  bound  for  our  daily  walks.  We  were  men- 
tioned frequently  in  the  papers,  and  my  mother  disliked 
this,  and  gave  us  strict  instructions  not  to  talk  to  the 
reporters  as  we  went  by  them.  One  day  when  she  had 
been  out  for  luncheon  and  during  the  whole  afternoon, 
and  had  missed  a  playroom  riot  of  which  Nurse  Louise 
told  her,  she  sent  for  us,  and  looking  at  my  brother,  she 
said  with  sorrow  in  her  voice:  "I  hear  you  have  been 
dreadfully  naughty  to-day.  Now  isn't  that  terrible?" 
Ignoring  the  latter  question,  the  culprit  replied,  with  gay 
interest:  "Now,  how  did  you  hear  that,  mama?  In 
the  newspapers?" — and  brought  down  the  house. 

There  was  a  great  procession  that  spring,  too,  I  remem- 
ber— a  beautiful  parade,  which  marched  up  past  our 
house  to  salute  the  old  commander.  He  stood  in  the 
bay  window  of  his  sick-room,  looking  down  on  the  vet- 
erans he  had  commanded  long  ago,  with  their  following 
of  yotmger  men  and  boys ;  and  as  they  went  by,  in  spite 
of  military  discipline,  all  eyes  turned  upward,  and  they 
gazed  at  the  fine  strength  of  that  face,  still  fighting  and 
unconquered.     From  two  windows  over  his  we  children 


MY  GRANDFATHERS  ILLNESS  AND  DEATH        47 

enjoyed  the  fine  sight,  feeling  the  parade  was  all  for  our 
benefit  and  pleasure,  understanding  nothing  of  the  trag- 
edy of  this  last  review. 

Partly  unconscious  of  the  full  significance  of  the  drama 
in  our  home,  we  spent  a  happy  winter,  with  lessons, 
walks,  and  games  following  one  another  in  monotonous 
succession.  Toward  the  end  of  spring  we  were  scarcely 
ever  allowed  in  the  sick-room,  and,  if  at  all,  my  father 
would  carry  little  Ulysses  in  his  arms,  saying,  "Sh!" — 
then  would  take  me  in  for  a  moment,  leading  me  by  the 
hand  gently,  and  would  stand  with  me  a  few  seconds  by 
the  side  of  the  great  chair.  My  grandfather's  head  was 
bent  usually  and  he  appeared  very  ill,  but  always  there 
was  a  look  and  a  smile  in  my  direction;  and  then,  "Come, 
sweetheart,"  my  father  would  whisper,  "dear  grandpapa 
is  tired  now."  He  would  lead  me  back  to  the  lighted 
hall.  But  I  heard  them  all  talk  of  how  the  book  was 
still  progressing,  how  each  day  at  the  hours  of  least  suf- 
fering some  pages  were  added  to  it,  and  one  person  would 
say,  "The  book  is  killing  him,"  and  another  would  reply: 
"No,  the  book  is  keeping  him  alive;  without  it  he  would 
already  be  dead." 

Then  came  talk  of  stimmer  plans.  The  doctors  thought 
Elberon  too  damp  and  too  low,  and  real  moiintains  too 
far,  with  air  too  rarefied.  Some  one  suggested  Mount 
McGregor,  in  the  foot-hills  of  the  Adirondacks — accessi- 
ble, dry,  invigorating,  cool,  all  that  was  wanted — a  small 
hotel  where  one  took  one's  meals  was  there,  it  seemed, 
with  a  wee  cottage,  just  large  enough  to  hold  the  family; 
woods  of  oak  and  pine;  a  great,  sweeping  view  out  over 
the  valley  far  away.  The  question  was  decided;  mov- 
ing the  invalid  frightened  every  one,  but  the  journey 
came  off  all  right. 

My  grandfather,  with  doctors  and  nurse,  made  one 


48  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

group ;  and  my  father,  invariably  at  his  side  and  in  charge, 
was  always  able  to  understand  his  parent's  least  gesture 
or  see  what  was  needed  quicker  and  better  than  others; 
grandmama,  with  Aunt  Nelly  and  my  mother,  formed 
another  group  under  the  leadership  of  my  uncle,  U.  S. 
Grant;  then  we  children  followed,  with  our  French 
Louise;  while,  finally,  various  servants  with  baggage  and 
wraps  made  a  cavalcade  which  crowded  the  special  car 
offered  our  party  by  the  railroad.  An  all-day  trip  it 
was.  I  think  we  arrived  in  time  for  a  light  supper,  and 
were  put  at  once  to  bed;  and  we  slept  with  light  hearts, 
for  in  telling  us  good  night  some  one  had  said:  ** Isn't  it 
nice,  dear  grandpapa  has  stood  the  trip  so  well?  And 
the  doctor  says  he  will  soon  be  all  right  in  this  fine  air." 

It  seemed  really  true.  The  air  was  cool  and  clear, 
while  our  tiny  cottage  was  most  conveniently  arranged 
for  the  invalid's  comfort.  On  the  ground  floor  there  was 
a  little  room — supposedly  a  dining-room — with  a  smaller 
parlor  off  it;  then  a  large  room  called  the  office,  and  a 
pleasant,  sunny,  quiet,  comer  room,  with  a  cot  for  the 
attendant,  and  two  big  chairs,  like  those  in  New  York; 
or  perhaps  the  same  ones  transported.  These  two  rooms 
opened  one  into  the  other,  and  had  their  own  door  out 
to  the  broad  porch,  where  the  invalid  could  sit  or  be 
wheeled  about  or  even  walk  a  little,  siire  of  an  even 
surface  for  his  feet. 

For  a  time  the  effect  of  the  change  and  air  was  won- 
derful, though  the  pain  and  difficulty  in  swallowing  were 
as  before,  of  course.  An  augmentation  of  strength  came 
within  a  day  or  two,  and  my  grandfather  was  able  to  be 
out  a  great  deal,  to  wear  his  clothes,  and  stand  the 
fatigue  of  dressing  and  undressing;  he  again  took  a  large 
part  in  the  family's  life,  which  was  arranged  aroimd  him 
so  he  should  have  as  much  company  and  talk  as  would 


MY  GRANDFATHERS  ILLNESS  AND  DEATH         49 

amuse  and  distract  him.  He  was  wheeled  down  to  the 
summer-house  on  the  cliff  frequently,  and  looked  con- 
tentedly out  over  the  great  valley  spread  beyond.  If  I 
was  playing  in  the  garden  when  he  started  I  was  called; 
and,  delighted  to  be  with  him,  feeling  very  maternal  and 
important,  I  trotted  alongside  the  wheeled  chair,  chat- 
tering incessantly,  and  now  or  then  tucking  in  the  comer 
of  his  scarf  or  lap-robe.  I  loved  that  view  myself,  and 
always  felt  the  silent  man  was  in  sympathy,  for  when  I 
would  exclaim  my  pleasure  at  its  splendor  and  turn  to 
him  with  a  "Don't  you  like  it,  too,  grandpapa?"  he 
would  nod,  and  smile  with  his  eyes,  quite  in  the  old  way; 
and  I  forgot,  childlike,  how  ill  he  really  was. 

Through  June  and  part  of  July  we  lived  like  this,  and 
crowds  came  and  looked  and  went  away.  On  Sunday 
vast  concourses  of  people,  respectful  and  quiet,  arrived 
by  train  on  the  mountain  top,  gazed  at  the  view  and 
wandered  round  the  cottage,  in  the  hope  of  catching  a 
glimpse  of  "the  general."  Children  were  brought,  to  be 
held  up  to  look,  and  shrubs  were  broken  and  carried  off, 
with  any  other  odds  and  ends  within  reach,  to  be  kept  as 
souvenirs. 

So  many  came  and  stood  about  that  one  day  a  group 
of  soldiers  appeared  on  the  scene  and  set  up  a  tent  or 
two,  proceeding  to  establish  sentinels,  who  marched  up 
and  down  a  few  feet  beyond  the  balcony  and  permitted 
no  one  without  a  pass  or  a  real  mission  to  come  beyond 
their  chosen  line.  We  children  grew  very  intimate  with 
vague,  friendly  people  in  these  multitudes,  and  we  had  a 
great  many  compliments  and  questions  put  to  us.  No 
doubt  we  were  very  indiscreet,  though  I  do  not  remem- 
ber any  trouble  coming  from  it. 

We  led  an  outdoor  life,  and  as  we  took  our  meals  with 
Nurse  Louise  over  at  the  hotel,  we  saw  very  little  of  the 


50  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

grown-ups  in  the  family  circle,  who  spent  their  time  sit- 
ting near  my  grandfather  or  with  his  doctors  in  consulta- 
tion. We  enjoyed  ourselves  immensely.  There  were 
rocks  and  big  trees ;  a  small,  still,  shimmering  lake  behind 
the  cottage;  and  out  in  front  a  tiny  garden,  with  beyond 
it  an  open  space  and  the  few  trees  which  were  grouped 
about  the  summer-house,  whence  was  the  lookout. 
Enough  for  a  children's  paradise  this  was,  and  I  loved  it 
all,  having  been  used  only  till  then  to  the  open  sea,  sky, 
sand,  and  lawns  at  Elberon.  These  surroundings  seemed 
mysterious,  with  something  of  fairy  or  of  goblin  charm 
about  them.  I  liked  the  sunlight  coming  through  high 
oaks  with  their  moving  leaves;  and  I  spent  much  leisure 
looking  up  into  them  as  they  whispered  among  them- 
selves. It  is  the  first  time  I  remember  feeling  any  appre- 
ciation of  Nature. 

One  day  there  was  a  thunder-storm,  so  sudden  and 
violent  that  it  frightened  us  children  very  much  as  we 
undressed.  The  cottage  was  struck  by  lightning,  which 
ran  down  a  defective  lightning-rod  and  branched  off  from 
it  through  the  window  of  our  nursery.  Louise  sat  at  the 
window,  and  was  for  a  moment  transfixed  by  the  shock, 
though,  as  it  passed,  the  only  real  harm  done  was  to  her 
apron,  which  bore  traces  of  burning.  I  saw  a  line  or  ball 
of  flame  pass  and  go  to  an  upper  comer  of  the  room,  and 
there  disappear.  It  went  by  my  little  brother,  who  was 
standing  in  his  crib  and  who  fell  over  backward  with  a 
squeal,  saying  some  one  had  hurt  his  face.  We  were 
easily  consoled,  though,  for  our  small  troubles,  and  liked 
being  the  centre  of  attention  and  telling  our  story  as 
often  as  chance  offered  an  audience,  but  the  distressing 
thing  was  that  though  the  damage  in  our  room  consisted 
of  a  scorched  apron  and  a  small  hole  in  the  wall,  outside 
the  house  one  of  the  sentinels  had  been  thrown  down  and 


MY  GRANDFATHER'S  ILLNESS  AND  DEATH        51 

killed.  His  dramatic  end  was  for  a  long  time  a  deep 
sorrow  to  us  children,  for  we  had  known  him  well  and 
were  growing  fond  of  him. 

I  became  conscious  one  day  that  the  grown-ups  on  the 
balcony  near  which  I  was  playing  were  worried.  Grand- 
mama  was  saying  something  in  an  anxious  voice,  Aunt 
Nelly  was  silent,  looking  far  away,  and  my  mother  was 
arguing  against  grandmama  in  her  most  contagiously 
cheerful  tone — the  tone  a  child  recognizes  as  the  one 
used  to  persuade  one  that  having  a  tooth  pulled  or  an 
arm  vaccinated  is  going  to  be  a  pleasant  experience. 

"Now,  Mrs.  Grant,  you  mustn't  talk  that  way;  Gen- 
eral Grant  has  been  so  much  better  you  are  used  to  it, 
and  this  setback  makes  you  nervous.  You  will  see  it  is 
just  the  fatigue  of  writing,  and  he  is  free  at  last  and  can 
rest.  You'll  see";  and  so  on,  or  words  to  that  effect.  I 
did  not  then  understand  and  cannot  now  recall  the  whole 
conversation  as  I  overheard  it,  but  evidently  the  speakers 
were  worried  about  my  grandfather;  he  had  finally  ended 
his  book,  and  was  not  so  well  as  before.  It  was  true  he 
had  not  come  out-of-doors  that  day,  nor  dressed  as  usual. 
I  felt  queer.  As  the  French  say,  **My  heart  tightened 
itself,"  and  I  wondered  what  was  happening  or  impend- 
ing. I  realized  I  was  small  and  left  out.  For  two  or 
three  days  my  grandfather  stayed  in  his  room,  and  I  was 
not  allowed  in.  The  only  news  I  had  was  when  I  asked 
it  of  my  mother  or  Aunt  Nelly.  They  would  say  in  pass- 
ing, "No,  grandpapa  isn't  quite  so  well,  dear,"  and  then 
hurry  on.  Grandmama  and  my  father  scarcely  ever 
came  out  of  the  sick-room,  while  the  nurse  or  our  old  but- 
ler, Harrison — who  had  been  helping  as  my  grandfather's 
body-servant — would  give  us  no  satisfaction  either  if  we 
met  them.  Once  old  Harrison  shook  his  head  and  said: 
"I'm  afraid  the  general  is  very  bad." 


52  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AJSD  THERE 

Once,  also,  I  heard  the  doctor  and  my  father,  who  had 
come  into  the  Httle  dining-room,  talking:  something 
about  other  doctors  to  come  for  a  consultation.  And 
then  the  house  doctor  said:  ''Isn't  there  something  we 
can  give  the  general  to  write.  Colonel  Grant  ?  It  might 
make  his  interest  and  spirits  rally;  make  him  want  to 
live." 

And  my  father  replied,  ''We  can  certainly  invent 
something  to  propose  to  father,  if  you  think  writing  will 
help  him  to  rally  again" — and  they  went  away. 

Soon — it  may  have  been  a  day  later,  or  two,  or  three — 
my  mother  came  out  on  the  balcony  and  called  us  chil- 
dren. "Quick,  papa  wants  you  to  come  and  see  dear 
grandpapa,"  she  said. 

We  joined  her,  and  she  took  us  into  the  room  v/here 
my  grandfather  was  more  or  less  reclining  in  his  great 
chair.  Grandmama  was  crying  quietly,  and  was  seated 
by  his  side.  She  had  in  her  hands  a  handkerchief  and  a 
small  bottle,  perhaps  of  cologne,  and  was  dampening  my 
grandfather's  brow.  His  hair  was  longer,  and  seemed  to 
me  more  curled,  while  his  eyes  were  closed  in  a  face  more 
drawn  than  usual  and  much  whiter.  Beads  of  perspira- 
tion stood  on  the  broad  forehead,  and  as  I  came  forward 
old  Harrison  gently  wiped  similar  drops  from  the  back 
of  the  hand  which  was  lying  quietly  on  the  chair-arm. 
My  father  sat  at  the  opposite  side  from  grandmama,  and 
the  doctor  and  nurse  stood  at  the  head,  behind  the  in- 
valid. Old  Harrison  had  been  kneeling  near  my  father, 
but  rose,  and  I  took  his  place.  My  mother  came  behind 
me.  "Kiss  grandpapa,"  she  said,  but  I  could  not  reach 
over  and  up  to  his  cheek.  I  noticed  once  more  how 
beautiful  the  hand  was.  I  looked  at  my  father,  who 
nodded,  and  who  put  his  arm  about  m.e.  Then  I  stood 
for  a  moment  or  two,  steadied  by  him,  when  my  mother 


MY  GRANDFATHER'S  ILLNESS  AND  DEATH        53 

whispered:  "We  must  go  now."  With  a  lump  in  my 
throat  I  leaned  down  and  kissed  the  beautiful  hand,  and 
was  led  out  of  the  room. 

When  Nurse  Louise  waked  us  and  dressed  us  early 
next  morning  she  told  us  about  how  "le  gen6rar'  had 
had  a  bad  night;  and  that  all  the  family  had  been  down 
with  him  till  two  or  three  hours  ago;  so  we  must  be  very- 
quiet  and  creep  out  of  the  house  to  our  breakfast  with- 
out any  noise,  as  now  "le  general"  was  sleeping  well, 
and  so  were  the  others. 

As  we  opened  our  nursery  door  and  stepped  into  the 
hall  Harrison  rushed  across  it  from  my  parents'  to  my 
grandmother's  door  and  knocked  there,  having  left  the 
first  door  thrown  wide  open.  We  reached  the  stairs  and 
I  saw  my  father  throw  on  his  jacket — probably  he  had 
been  asleep  in  shirt  and  trousers,  ready  for  any  emer- 
gency. He  rushed  out  of  his  bedroom  and  passed  us 
without  seeing  us  at  all,  taking  the  staircase  faster  than 
I  could  imagine  his  doing.  My  mother  was  moving 
about  rapidly,  putting  on  her  things,  also,  and  across  the 
hall  from  grandmama  came  a  sob,  and  ''I'm  coming,"  in 
reply  to  Harrison's  quick  knock. 

What  happened  further  I  do  not  know,  for  Nurse 
Louise  was  very  energetic  and  got  us  out  rapidly;  but  as 
we  were  leaving  we  heard  grandmama's  voice  saying, 
with  the  sob  again:  "Ida,  do  you  think  it's  true?  I 
can't  believe  it !    I  can't!" 

We  children  were  taken  over  to  the  hotel.  I  was  put 
in  my  chair  and  told  as  usual  to  eat  all  the  things  before 
me;  but  I  couldn't.  I  was  too  frightened  by  what  I  had 
heard.  Other  nurses  and  children  appeared  and  asked 
news  of  the  cottage;  and  Louise  would  shake  her  head, 
shrug  her  shoulders,  and  indicate  she  couldn't  talk  openly 
because  of  us  children.     Breakfast  dragged;  then  one  of 


54  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

those  serving  it  suddenly  said:  "It  is  all  finished  over 
there  at  the  cottage."  And  when  Louise  contradicted, 
the  servant  continued:  "Yes,  yes,  a  telegram  has  just 
been  brought  over  to  forward  from  the  hotel  ofBce,  and 
the  messenger  said  General  Grant  had  just  died." 

I  felt  stunned,  could  not  swallow  another  mouthful, 
and  would  have  cried  out  then  and  there,  had  it  not  been 
that  Nurse  Louise,  with  good-hearted  tact,  undid  the 
small  brother's  bib  and  said:  "Come."  So  we  got  out 
into  the  air,  and  I  was  better  at  once.  We  returned  to 
our  cottage  much  later,  though,  for  Louise's  common 
sense  had  suggested  a  long  walk  as  an  excellent  method 
of  keeping  us  out  of  the  way,  and  we  had  gone  round  the 
lake  before  reaching  home. 

It  was  a  sad  household.  My  father  was  with  the 
undertaker  down-stairs ;  mama  was  busy  in  her  room  and 
couldn't  see  us.  Grandmama  was  wailing  and  sobbing 
behind  her  own  closed  doors.  There  was  not  anything 
we  could  do,  and  we  wandered  away  to  the  garden. 
Against  all  rules,  when  nurse  and  my  brother  settled 
down  to  rest,  I  went  slowly  off  by  myself  further  on 
into  the  woods.  I  think  this  was  the  first  time  in  my 
life  I  had  felt  heavy  with  sorrow.  I  did  not  go  far — dis- 
cipline forbade  it — ^but  once  out  of  sight  I  sat  down  to 
digest  the  great  trouble.  It  was  not  just  a  relative  who 
had  passed  away  out  of  my  small  world,  but  a  friend  and 
comrade  from  whom  I  had  always  had  both  understand- 
ing and  sympathy,  together  with  a  strong,  gentle,  pro- 
tective affection,  which  I  was  too  yotmg  to  analyze  yet 
old  enough  to  appreciate  deeply.  I  had  at  times  realized 
his  suffering  and  patience,  so  admiration  and  pity  mixed 
with  the  other  sentiments  which  overcame  me  finally 
when  I  broke  down.  The  storm  passed.  I  dried  my 
tears  and  thought;  was  there  nothing  I  could  do  to  help 


MY  GRANDFATHER'S  ILLNESS  AND  DEATH        55 

my  father,  who  was  in  the  cottage  **  attending  to  every- 
thing," it  had  been  said. 

I  seemed  without  resources  for  usefukiess.  Then  I 
remembered  one  made  wreaths  for  dead  people.  .  .  . 
Perhaps  I  could  make  a  wreath.  Often  we  had  done  so 
in  play,  with  nurse's  help. 

Uncertain  whether  I  could  succeed  alone,  I  looked  for 
flowers,  but  there  were  none  in  sight  there  in  the  woods. 
Discouraged  and  tired,  I  gazed  about  me,  when  suddenly 
it  occurred  to  me  that  the  prettiest  wreath  I  had  ever 
made  was  a  flat  one  of  oak-leaves.  There  were  enough 
of  these  at  hand.  I  was  at  once  aflame  with  importance 
in  my  effort  and  enthusiasm.  I  picked  a  quantity  of 
leaves  from  the  low  sprouts  of  some  fine  trees,  ran  over 
them  to  see  they  were  all  perfect,  and  sat  down  to  work. 
It  went  quickly,  and  in  a  half -hour  or  so  the  wreath  of 
broad,  shining  leaves  was  finished,  and  looked  well,  as  it 
lay  spread  on  a  flat-rock  table  at  hand. 

The  next  thing  was  to  get  it  to  my  grandfather.  I 
knew  my  father  was  in  those  closed  rooms,  and  thinking 
to  find  him,  I  ran  back  to  the  house,  approaching  from 
the  rear,  so  the  garden  and  nurse  should  both  be  avoided. 
Once  on  the  balcony  I  went  and  looked  in  the  window 
of  the  death-chamber.  My  father  was  not  there,  but 
in  the  centre  of  the  room  stood  a  cofl&n,  a  thing  I  had 
never  seen  before ;  and  moving  about,  two  men,  strangers 
to  me,  were  setting  out  a  few  chairs,  probably  for  use  at 
the  service  soon  to  be  held.  I  was  recognized  at  once  by 
the  elder  of  the  two  men,  who  came  to  the  door  and 
inquired  what  I  wanted. 

*'I've  brought  grandpapa  a  wreath;  I  thought  my 
papa  was  here,"  I  replied.  He  said,  after  a  little  hesita- 
tion: "Sure,  miss,  and  your  papa  is  just  after  going  up 
to  snatch  a  little  sleep,  and  I  wouldn't  dishturb  him  if  I 


56  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

was  you.  Suppose  ye  give  me  the  wreath  to  lay  on  the 
gineral.  It's  a  mighty  fine  wreath;  and  I  think  there's 
no  harm  in  your  coming  in  to  help  me  yourself." 

In  I  went  with  the  undertaker,  and  he  laid  the  wreath 
carefully  in  a  circle  on  the  casket.  Then  he  left  me 
standing  there,  gazing  down  at  the  familiar  face  under 
the  glass,  while  he  went  off  about  his  business  of  tidy- 
ing up.  It  seemed  heartbreaking  that  my  grandfather 
should  be  so  still,  and  dead. 

I  could  not  struggle  against  the  queer  feeling  assailing 
me,  and  I  lost  track  of  things  for  a  time,  till  I  remember 
being  carried  in  someone's  arms  up  to  my  mother's 
room,  and  laid  on  the  big  bed  there,  and  she  was  re- 
proaching me  for  being  disobedient  and  having  run  away 
from  niu-se. 

However,  later  I  was  very  proud,  because  with  car- 
loads of  flowers  coming  by  every  train,  and  florists  bring- 
ing special  great  set  pieces  which  filled  the  house  with  their 
beauty  and  fragrance,  my  wreath  was  the  only  one  on 
the  casket.  Finally  it  began  to  fade  and  the  leaves  to 
curl  a  little;  but  my  father  reassured  me:  "Never  mind, 
pet,  my  little  girl's  wreath  is  going  to  be  varnished  so  it 
will  keep,  and  then  it  shall  be  buried  with  grandpapa.  I 
know  he  would  have  liked  to  keep  it  with  him  al- 
ways." 

And  I  was  glad  to  have  it  so.  Somehow  my  deepest 
sentiment  had  gone  into  the  little,  silly  contribution  to 
the  offerings  brought  him. 

Impossible  to  describe  in  detail  what  our  family  life 
was  from  July  23d  to  August  8th.  I  remember  vast 
crowds  of  men's  hatless  heads,  and  of  women  in  black. 
The  flowers  piled  up,  and  the  resolutions  of  sympathy, 
engraved  and  framed,  piled  up,  too.  Letters  were  com- 
ing in  by  the  basket-load.     Yet  there  was  no  confusion  or 


MY  GRANDFATHER'S  ILLNESS  AND  DEATH         57 

talk.  The  maximum  result  was  obtained  always  by  my 
father's  power  of  organization,  his  patience  and  self- 
control.  Devoted  as  he  was  to  his  wonderful  parent, 
and  consequently  doubly  hurt  by  his  sad  death,  my 
father  never  let  a  complaint  escape  him,  and  he  did  with- 
out the  privacy  he  must  have  longed  for.  He  saw  to 
every  detail,  answered  questions  from  all  over  the  coun- 
try. He  decided  everything  connected  with  the  funeral 
trip,  and  attended  with  much  care  to  details.  This  was 
not  easy,  with  all  the  veiled  rivalries  among  those  who 
had  united  to  honor  Grant  and  mourn  his  loss. 

My  father  went  down  to  New  York  with  the  body  on 
the  special  train,  draped  with  black,  which  carried  the 
casket.  My  uncle  Ulysses  came  on  to  stay  with  and 
look  after  the  family,  taking  us  down  to  New  York  in 
a  special  car.  Once  in  town  we  were  all  lodged  at  the 
old  Fifth  Avenue  Hotel.  Tremendous  crowds  circulated 
in  the  streets  below  our  windows,  and  I  was  deeply 
interested  in  watching  the  people.  Clothes,  all  black, 
were  brought  in,  and  each  member  of  our  party  bought 
something  which  was  necessary  to  complete  wardrobes 
in  need  of  deep  cr^pe  weeds.  Flags  everywhere  hung  at 
half-mast,  and  a  long  continuous  procession  passed 
through  the  doors  of  New  York's  City  Hall,  to  pay 
respect  to  my  grandfather.  For  days  his  remains  lay  in 
state,  and  the  crowds  went  solemnly  by;  men,  women, 
and  children,  slowly  moving  on  weary  feet,  waiting,  look- 
ing, straining  for  a  last  glimpse  at  the  well-known  face. 

The  morning  of  August  8th  came,  and  early  our  family 
took  up  its  stand  in  the  funeral  carriages,  ready  to  swing 
into  line  as  soon  as  the  great  hearse  should  pass.  Even 
my  childish  brain  was  awed  by  the  immensity  of  the 
demonstration.  From  23d  Street  to  11 6th  Street  a  five- 
mile   stretch   of   sympathetic   people  covered  sidewalks 


58  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

and  fences,  windows  and  doors,  and  every  face  was  sad; 
some  were  even  weeping.  Except  the  crowd,  I  recall 
little  of  those  hours  spent  in  the  funeral  carriage.  With 
both  my  parents  and  my  Aimt  Nelly  we  were  shut  into 
intense  heat  and  semi-darkness.  Some  sandwiches,  the 
long  silences,  and  now  and  then  a  question  asked  and 
answered;  my  weary  body  and  my  own  wet  eyes  I  only 
felt  occasionally,  but  I  remember  well  my  father's  white, 
set  face  and  his  strained,  hoarse  voice.  My  yoimg 
brother  gave  my  mother  some  difficulty,  for  his  move- 
ments and  talk  were  not  always  easy  to  control.  I  think 
she  must  have  had  great  trouble  keeping  both  of  us 
children  in  order. 

At  last  we  arrived  at  Riverside,  and  the  afternoon  sun 
shone  brightly  down  on  the  tiny  temporary  brick  tomb. 
The  services,  simple  and  beautifiil,  were  carried  out 
rapidly,  without  a  hitch,  and  ended  with  "taps."  Then 
we  drove  back  to  our  hotel  with  a  feeling  of  imutterable 
weariness  and  loss. 

From  that  time  till  the  spring  of  1889  we  lived  with 
my  grandmother  Grant.  All  the  first  part  of  those  years 
my  father  worked  at  the  book,  which  my  grandfather 
had  left  in  manuscript  to  his  heirs.  It  had  to  be  gone 
over  still  and  the  proofs  corrected,  while  endless  detail 
work  was  also  involved  getting  maps  and  illustrations 
carefully  prepared.  Instead  of  the  little  office  in  the 
second-floor  front,  this  room  was  switched  back  to  its 
old  employ  of  my  grandmother's  boudoir,  and  she  moved 
again  into  what  had  been  recently  my  grandfather's 
bedroom.  The  plain  work  fumitiire  went  up  to  the 
third  floor,  and  there,  in  a  room  just  over  the  earlier 
office,  my  father  carried  through  his  daily  task — saw 
publishers,  arranged  their  terms,  and  carried  out  in  de- 
tail the  instructions  of  the  dead  author.    As  the  money 


MY  GRANDFATHER'S  ILLNESS  AND  DEATH        59 

came  in  after  the  first  edition  of  the  memoirs  was  sold, 
he  handled  all  his  mother's  business  in  addition. 

It  was  a  great  gratification  to  have  the  two  volumes, 
written  with  such  courage,  while  fighting  death  and 
enduring  a  martyrdom  of  suffering,  fully  appreciated  by 
the  public,  and  attaining  the  results  for  which  they  were 
written. 

The  first  check  sent  in  by  the  publishers  beat  all  rec- 
ords for  size.  It  was  for  over  three  hundred  thousand 
dollars ! 


CHAPTER  III 

IN  VIENNA 

ONE  day,  in  the  spring  of  1889,  when  I  was  nearly 
thirteen  years  old — a  quiet,  overgrown  girl  with 
long,  heavy  hair,  but  otherwise  with  no  distinc- 
tive trait — my  mother  called  us  down  to  her  room  at 
supper- time,  and  announced  that  she  had  a  great  surprise 
to  impart.  We  were  all  going  to  Vienna,  to  live  there  a 
long  time !  President  Harrison  had  named  my  father 
"Envoy  Extraordinary  and  Minister  Plenipotentiary"  to 
Austria,  and  we  must  prepare  to  be  off  very  soon.  My 
interest  and  excitement  were  intense.  I  wrote  the  new 
title  over  and  over,  till  I  knew  how  to  spell  and  say  it  by 
heart.  What  I  had  heard  of  Austria  was  limited  and 
vague,  but  I  asked  more,  until  I  was  informed  that 
Vienna  was  considered  one  of  Europe's  brilliant  capitals, 
that  there  were  great  families  living  there  whose  names 
were  known  in  history  back  through  the  centuries,  as 
those  of  robber  barons  and  Holy  Roman  emperors. 
Also  there  were  art,  music,  fine  clothes,  court  functions, 
fancy  leather  goods,  galleries  of  treasures,  palaces.  All 
these  words  figured  in  our  table  conversation  now,  and  I 
followed  their  trails,  varied  as  they  were,  to  dictionaries, 
and  drew  my  own  conclusions. 

Our  sailing  date  was  soon  announced.  We  were  going 
to  land  at  Southampton,  be  in  London  a  short  time,  and 
then  go  straight  to  Vienna,  either  through  France  or 
Germany,  as  my  parents  should  decide  at  the  last  mo- 
ment.    Anyhow,  we  would  have  quite  a  trip,  and  I  was 


\  IN  VIENNA  61 

elated  by  this  prospect.  I  had  always  been  told  we 
were  tocy  poor  to  go  abroad,  and  I  had  so  far  learned  as 
much  as  1[  ever  hoped  to  know  of  foreign  lands  through 
albums  others  brought  home.  I  had  been  quite  re- 
signed to  thia  privation,  but  was  delighted  by  the  sudden 
turning  in  our  path  and  the  new  prospect  of  adventure 
and  discovery. 

We  sailed  early  in  March.  Grandmama,  with  a  com- 
panion, decided  to  come,  too,  and  spend  the  summer 
months  abroad;  so  our  party  made  six.  The  night  be- 
fore our  embarkation  we  all  dined  with  my  father's 
brother,  and  lost  in  that  large  family  company  we  chil- 
dren, unnoticed,  ate  of  every  dish,  from  oysters  to  mar- 
rons  glaces.  Our  ordinary  simple  diet  had  not  prepared 
us  for  digesting  such  a  banquet,  especially  on  the  eve  of 
a  trip  at  sea,  and  the  results  of  our  orgy  were  frightful ! 
For  several  days  we  tossed  on  a  stormy  ocean,  unable  to 
touch  food  or  even  to  sleep  much — helpless  victims  of 
our  gluttony.  My  small  brother  had  high  fever,  and  my 
mother  felt  his  life  was  really  in  danger,  for  the  ship's 
doctor  could  do  nothing,  he  said,  and  merely  recom- 
mended fresh  air  when  we  could  go  on  deck,  and  quiet 
till  then.  Mine  was  a  healthy  case,  as  I  was  much 
stronger  always  than  the  boy. 

About  the  third  day  out  my  father  carried  my  limp 
brother  up  on  deck,  and  I  was  able  to  go  that  far  on  my 
own  feet.  Then  we  stretched  out  and  wistfully  watched 
a  sullen,  lead-colored,  hideous  sky,  and  a  rough  sheet  of 
water  equally  ugly.  The  boat  still  rolled  and  tumbled. 
Young  Ulysses  was  himself  by  and  by,  however,  and  he 
explored  the  wonders  of  the  ship  with  interest.  In  more 
recent  times  the  luxury  of  steamers  makes  one  forget  the 
uncomfortable  life  habitual  on  them  during  my  child- 
hood.    Food  then  was  always  indifferent  and  frequently 


(52  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

wretched.  In  those  days  what  dainties  our  friends  sent 
us  were  really  precious,  and  I  remember  especially  the 
pleasure  we  took  in  a  barrel  of  oysters  and  some  oranges, 
which  were  gifts  at  parting.  Our  steamer-chairs  also  had 
been  given  us.  But  in  spite  of  this  my  first  impressions 
of  my  jotuney  out  into  the  world  were  horrid ! 

At  last,  with  the  help  of  several  books,  the  long,  dull 
trip,  which  lasted  about  ten  days,  ended.  We  entered, 
after  the  trip  by  boat-train  to  London,  a  huge  caravan- 
sary where  one  got  lost.  Bad  food,  rooms  that  did  not 
remember  being  cleaned,  mud,  drizzle,  darkness — all  con- 
tributed to  our  doleful  feeling,  as  we  did  our  round  of 
sightseeing.  The  Tower  of  London  I  liked  very  much, 
however;  more  than  anything  else  I  remember. 

My  father  and  mother  were  *' commanded"  to  a 
drawing-room  and  went,  both  looking  very  fine.  I  was 
allowed  to  help  my  mother  dress.  She  was  quite  radiant 
in  orange  brocade  embroidered  with  silver  beads,  and 
she  wore  a  becoming  touch  of  brown  and  white  at  her 
shoulders  and  on  her  head. 

.  That  day  Queen  Victoria  was  holding  court,  and  was 
gracious  enough  to  remember  my  grandfather  had  visited 
her  at  Windsor  Castle  years  before.  The  Prince  of 
Wales,  Albert  Edward,  mama  said  looked  desperately 
bored,  while  the  Princess  was  smiling  and  gracious.  Dis- 
tinguished men,  statesmen  of  various  countries,  asked  to 
meet  my  father,  and  talked  with  him  about  the  different 
interests  of  America  and  the  currents  of  European  poli- 
tics— all  of  which  gave  my  parents  rather  an  unusual 
first  reception  in  these  official  circles  they  were  just 
entering. 

It  seemed  curious  to  me  to  be  abroad,  where  every- 
thing was  so  different  from  the  frame  I  was  used  to. 
The  English  country  from  Southampton  to  London  had 


IN  VIENNA  63 

appeared  very  beautiful  to  my  eyes — ^greener,  richer 
vegetation  and  bigger  trees  than  at  home,  with  here  and 
there  a  castle  or  a  manor-house  almost  hidden  away.  At 
that  time  it  was  beyond  my  powers  to  define  the  feeling 
I  had,  but  in  the  light  of  later  knowledge  I  think  it  must 
have  been  the  dignity  and  growth  of  these  traditional 
homes  with  a  history  which  appealed  to  me.  Attaching 
the  past  to  the  present,  they  gave  promise  of  strength 
and  a  continuous  long  future.  Even  a  child  is  sensitive 
to  such  things  as  atmosphere,  and  realizes  differences, 
and,  though  London  suffered  from  smoke  and  noise, 
though  our  hotel  was  a  hideous  place,  with  much  gilt  and 
dirt  and  imcomprehending  German  waiters,  and  though 
we  were  very  imcomfortable,  I  liked  the  streets  and 
buildings  immensely. 

After  our  short  stay  in  London  we  left  for  Vienna,  r 
direct  by  way  of  Belgium  and  Germany.  My  father  was 
anxious  to  reach  his  post  and  take  over  the  work  given 
him  to  do,  and  his  sense  of  duty  suppressed  all  further 
stops  on  the  way.  He  was  sorry  to  disappoint  us,  he 
said,  and  promised  to  bring  us  back  some  day  to  see 
these  lands  we  were  skimming  through.  My  mother 
gave  me  a  blank  book  and  pencil,  with  which  I  was  "to 
keep  a  diary  about  Europe."  Luckily  this  document 
was  lost,  not  long  after  it  was  written,  but  I  remember 
with  warm  affection  the  little  black  oilcloth  book  and 
my  pencil.  They  kept  me  busy  and  amused,  from  our 
arrival  at  Ostend,  or  whatever  was  the  port,  all  through 
the  long  journey  south  to  the  Austrian  capital. 

In  Vienna  the  legation  carriage  and  footman  were 
awaiting  us,  and  we  fell  in  love  at  first  sight  with  the 
place.  There  was  a  long  drive  from  the  train  to  our 
hotel,  which  stood  in  the  heart  of  the  old  city.  The 
quarter  first  traversed  had  broad,  open  streets  and  stuc- 


64  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

coed  houses,  large  but  quite  uninteresting.  Then  we 
reached  the  "Ring,"  with  its  rich  pubHc  buildings  and 
its  parks,  covering  the  space  of  what  had  been  the  forti- 
fied walls  of  old  Vienna.  Suddenly  we  turned  short  at 
right  angles  and  plunged  into  a  tiny  street,  so  narrow 
that  it  was  almost  possible  to  shake  hands  from  one  side 
to  the  other.  And  such  sidewalks !  Two  people  abreast 
was  their  utmost  capacity;  a  third  person  had  to  walk 
in  the  street  itself.  It  was  crowded  with  a  gay,  well- 
dressed,  talkative  mass  of  people  rushing  both  ways,  get- 
ting tangled  up  and  untangling  themselves.  Now  and 
then  a  "fiacre"  passed,  the  driver  cracking  his  whip  and 
shouting  to  make  way.  Then  came  some  lumbering 
family  carriage  with  big  colored  crests  on  the  side-doors, 
or  a  push-cart  would  pass,  with  vegetables  and  fruits 
piled  high  on  it,  or  with  fragrant  violets  and  daffodils. 
Before  each  vehicle  there  was  a  scramble  to  the  sidewalk 
and  a  flattening  out  of  pedestrians  against  walls,  amid 
laughter  and  shouts. 

The  shop-windows  looked  most  attractive  on  this 
smart  street,  which  was  the  famous  Kamtnerstrasse.  I 
hked  it  and  the  people.  Suddenly  we  stopped.  Our 
footman,  whose  name  was  Franz,  and  who  at  once  an- 
nounced he  had  been  with  the  legation  many  years  and 
spoke  "Engleesh  easee,"  got  down  and  opened  the  door. 
We  all  alighted  before  what  looked  a  very  unpromising 
place,  and  went  in.  Franz  explained  that  there  was  a 
newer  hotel,  but  not  so  elegant,  and  that  it  was  "not  for 
Excellenz  to  live  in."  It  was  on  the  Ring  and  was  quite 
modem,  while  this,  the  Munsch,  was  where  kings  and 
princes  and  Excellenzen  always  stayed;  and  "You  will 
very  much  like  eet,  Excellenz." 

Inside  a  clean,  low  hall,  painted  white  and  with  mar- 
ble floor.     There  was  no  lift,  but  a  wide  staircase  walled 


IN  VIENNA  65 

on  each  side,  white,  with  a  thick  red  carpet.  One  flight 
up,  there  were  a  dark  landing,  heavy  red  velvet  curtains, 
and  a  door  of  white  painted  wood.  This  flew  open,  both 
panels,  and  we  stood  on  the  threshold  of  the  apartment 
of  kings,  princes,  and  Excellenzen ! 

Enormous  rooms,  two  of  them,  one  in  brown-and-blue 
brocade  of  large  design,  the  other  furnished  in  red  dam- 
ask; lots  of  gold  everywhere,  on  frames,  mirrors,  and 
carved  backs  of  chairs.  There  were  great  chandeliers  of 
gilt,  bronze,  or  Bohemian  glass — candelabra,  clocks,  and 
vases  of  elaborately  worked  metal  stood  on  high  mantels. 
A  hundred  people  in  each  room  would  not  have  made  a 
crowd.  One  room  had  five  windows,  the  other  more, 
perhaps.  Tables  and  chairs  stood  about  in  formal  style. 
Perhaps  to  kings,  princes,  and  Excellenzen  this  might  be 
a  normal  habitation;  to  a  simple  little  American  girl  it 
looked  like  a  palace,  vast  beyond  belief.  Our  bedrooms 
were  in  proportion,  but  there  were  no  baths  at  all,  nor 
even  toilet-rooms.  My  father  asked  the  price,  and  was 
told  a  figure  which  proved  that  in  Vienna  space  was  a 
drug  on  the  market.     So  we  took  the  rooms. 

We  children  had  one  with  the  fimniest  beds — ^head  and 
foot  boards  equally  high,  heavy  quilts  with  sheets  but- 
toned back  on  them,  and  a  soft  down  cushion  as  large 
square  as  the  bed's  width,  to  use  as  an  extra  comforter. 
The  walls  were  so  thick  and  the  window  spaces  conse- 
quently so  deep  that  these  made  attractive  alcoves  for 
use.  I  had  in  mine  a  desk  and  chair,  while  my  brother 
used  another  as  his  playroom. 

We  all  decidedly  liked  the  place  as  soon  as  we  got  used 
to  its  queemess,  and  it  was  pleasant  to  have  excellent 
food  well  served  in  our  rooms  by  a  friendly,  smiling 
waiter,  who  spoke  all  sorts  of  languages,  though  he  was 
not  particularly  comprehensible  in  any. 


66  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

With  the  memory  of  the  Kamtnerstrasse  in  my  mind  I 
did  not  think  of  a  possible  view  from  our  windows,  and 
it  was  only  after  a  long  time  that  I  went  where  the  desk 
stood  and  glanced  out.  An  enchanting  scene  was  below 
— a  large  cobblestone-paved  square,  and  in  the  centre  a 
fountain  with  simple,  perfect  lines,  quite  an  early  and  a 
very  good  creation.  About  this  was  grouped  a  motley 
throng  in  bright  peasant  costumes,  most  decorative.' 
Then  radiating  out  from  the  centre  were  quantities  of 
push-carts  covered  with  fresh  flowers — spiles  of  them — 
and  any  you  wanted,  and  as  many  as  you  could  carry,  I 
found  cost  really  a  very  small  sum.  The  edges  of  the 
square  were  vacant  and  the  whole  space  was  surrounded 
by  facades  of  lovely  old  houses,  while  just  opposite  our 
hotel  the  Capuchin  church  stood,  where  all  the  Haps- 
burgs  have  been  buried  these  many  centuries.  It  was  a 
simple  structure. 

The  Viennese  seemed  a  charming,  happy-go-lucky  peo- 
ple, with  a  love  of  finery,  a  childish  gaiety,  and  a  desire 
to  help  everyone  about  them. 

That  first  morning  I  did  not  gain  any  further  knowl- 
edge, but  I  already  had  the  feeling  I  was  very  much  at 
home  in  this  new  place.  Breakfast  was  brought  up  soon, 
and  all  the  grown-ups  exclaimed  over  their  delicious 
coffee.  By  the  end  of  the  meal  bathrooms  had  become 
a  matter  of  indifference  to  all  of  us,  and  we  were  com- 
pletely imder  the  spell  of  Vienna.  We  impacked  our 
trunks,  glad  to  think  we  were  to  stay  on  for  some  time 
in  the  transformed  old  palace,  for  that  was  the  real  origin 
of  OUT  hotel. 

My  father  made  his  first  call  on  Count  Kalnoky  at 
once.  The  latter  attracted  him,  as  he  did  every  one 
else.  I  heard  afterward  that  Kalnoky  had  been  consid- 
ered one  of  the  most  delightful  men  of  his  epoch,  and 


IN  VIENNA  67 

that  much  of  his  success  in  handling  the  delicate  mecha- 
nism of  Austria-Hungary's  foreign  policy  had  been  be- 
cause he  was  such  a  personal  favorite  with  all  who  nego- 
tiated with  him.  At  that  time  we  knew  nothing  of  him, 
save  that  he  presided  at  the  Foreign  Office,  and  that  a 
first  call  was  due  him.  When  he  returned  my  father's 
visit  and  spent  a  half-hour  with  my  mother,  the  gay 
connoisseuf  was  quite  evidently  taken  with  her  beauty, 
and  made  himself  so  agreeable  that  a  warm  friendship 
was  at  once  established  between  the  American  Legation 
and  the  Ballplatz. 

At  the  end  of  his  visit  we  were  sent  for,  as  the  Minister 
said  he  was  keen  to  meet  a  pair  of  children  who  came  to 
Austria  from  so  far.  I  was  very  much  interested  to  see 
this  first  native  who  crossed  my  path.  He  made  us 
some  simple,  cordial  speech;  asked  if  we  had  seen  the 
pretty  Wurstel-Prater,  how  we  liked  the  country,  and 
he  made  his  way  straight  to  our  small  hearts  by  his 
warmth  and  sympathy.  Of  medium  height  and  fairly 
heavy  build,  he  had  thin  hair,  a  roimd  face,  and  some- 
what prominent  eyes.  He  possessed,  also,  a  guileless 
expression,  a  very  pleasant  voice,  a  good-natured  laugh, 
and,  without  any  familiarity,  seemed  at  once  to  be  on 
rather  intimate  terms  with  those  he  met.  He  inspired 
confidence  in  my  father  from  the  first,  and  they  remained 
firm  friends  throughout  the  remaining  time  Kalnoky  was 
in  office.  Though  there  were  various  delicate  and  diffi- 
cult negotiations  carried  on  between  their  respective  gov- 
ernments, more  and  more  my  father  grew  to  trust  the; 
man  who  on  that  first  day  had  given  us  a  welcome 
which  seemed  sincere. 

I  had  never  been  out  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  circle  at 
home,  and  I  was  struck  by  the  fact  that  the  Minister  of 
Foreign  Affairs  bowed  low  over  my  mother's  hand  and 


68  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

kissed  it  in  adieu,  and  that  at  the  door  he  stopped,  clicked 
his  heels  together,  and  made  a  general  bow  to  our  family- 
group.  I  think,  also,  he  wore  a  monocle,  which  amused 
me.  He  was  an  old  bachelor,  I  learned,  and  poor,  and 
he  had,  though  he  was  of  noble  birth,  made  his  own 
career.  At  the  Ballplatz — where  he  occasionally  gave  an 
official  party,  opening  up  the  palatial  rooms  and  doing 
everything  with  great  dignity  and  splendor — ^he  lived 
habitually  in  one  of  the  smallest  apartments  and  kept 
very  quiet  socially.  He  always  used  a  smart  fiacre  in- 
stead of  a  private  carriage,  and  one  saw  him  sometimes 
flying  along  at  breakneck  speed  such  as  only  the  typical 
Viennese  cabbies  dared  to  adopt. 

In  fact,  *' Wiener  chic"  ordained  that  any  man  with 
pretensions  to  success  should  make  a  point  of  using  a 
very  fast  fiacre,  except  when  on  gala  occasions  of  cere- 
mony it  was  replaced  by  court  carriage  or  family-crested 
clumsy  vehicle. 

Later  I  met  Kalnoky  often,  and  watched  and  listened 
always  with  great  interest  as  he  talked.  He  was  viva- 
cious, talented,  cultivated,  yet  always  with  a  shrewd 
sense  of  values  and  a  judgment  which  made  him  one  of 
his  Emperor's  most  valued  servitors.  Of  different  qual- 
ity and  race  from  the  Aehrenthals,  Berchtolds,  and  others 
who  brought  Austria  to  the  brink  of  the  precipice  in 
1 9 14,  Kalnoky  was  a  patriot,  statesman,  and  a  gentle- 
man as  well. 

Our  first  month  we  spent  at  the  quaint  Mimsch  Hotel. 
We  grew  to  be  comfortable  and  to  like  more  and  more 
the  view  of  the  square  and  the  luxury  of  meals  served  in 
the  huge  salon.  We  even  got  used  to  the  lack  of  baths, 
and  a  tub  in  our  rooms  seemed  quite  satisfactory. 

Court  mourning  was  deep,  for  Rudolf,  the  Crown 
Prince,  had  died  just  a  few  weeks  before  our  arrival. 


IN  VIENNA  69 

How  this  dreadful  loss  had  come  on  them  few  Austrians 
knew.  "The  VetcSra"  was  at  the  bottom  of  the  trouble, 
of  course.  With  him  on  the  last  fatal  party  had  been, 
besides  herself,  Prince  Philip  of  Coburg,  and  one  other 
man  whose  name  I  have  forgotten.  Among  the  groups 
far  from  court,  gossip  over  Rudolf  was  rife  and  every 
sort  of  scandal  was  passed  about.  The  Emperor  was 
deeply  affected  and  people  were  received  by  him  only  on 
state  business.  The  Empress  had  retired  in  her  grief  to 
some  far-away  palace  and  stayed  there.  We  were  told 
that,  when  questioned,  various  members  of  the  court  had 
replied:  '*Our  Emperor,  whom  we  love  dearly,  is  suffer- 
ing a  great  loss,  and  he  does  not  wish  it  discussed.  We 
know  nothing."  Evidently  the  diplomat  whose  curiosity 
had  led  him  to  ask  indiscreet  questions  was  not  an  ex- 
ample to  follow,  but  the  colleagues  whispered,  and,  nat- 
urally, the  nobility  must  have  done  likewise,  even  while 
toward  foreigners  loyalty  to  the  bereaved  sovereigns  was 
maintained. 

The  Emperor  was  adored  by  his  subjects  in  the  gay 
capital,  who  showed  affection  and  admiration,  also,  for 
the  dead  Crown  Prince,  and  {sympathized  even  with  the 
latter's  follies.  Both  men  had  had  a  simple  charm  and 
real  love  of  the  city's  life,  in  which  they  had  always 
taken  part  imofiicially.  The  Crown  Prince,  like  his 
father,  was  known  as  a  wonderful  shot  and  horseman. 
He  had  a  quick  wit  and  a  bright  smile,  and  had  spent 
much  time  in  the  theatres  and  cafes,  or  in  the  Prater, 
rubbing  elbows  with  the  crowd.  He  had  used  a  fiacre, 
like  all  the  jeunesse  doree,  and  spoke  the  Viennese  patois 
to  perfection. 

His  people  were  inclined  to  sympathize  with  his  vari- 
ous peccadilloes,  on  the  score  that  he  did  not  care  for  the 
Belgian  princess  he  had  been  obliged  to  marry,  and  who, 


70  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

they  said,  had  made  scenes  and  misunderstood  him  al- 
ways. **The  Vetc^ra'*  was  one  of  Vienna's  own  daugh- 
ters, a  great  beauty,  though  her  bringing  Rudolf  to  the 
point  where  suicide  or  murder  must  end  their  romance 
was  really  exaggerating  matters.  The  easy-going  men- 
tality and  invariable  weakness  for  the  romantic  made 
the  people  say  this  gently:  *'They  were  very  much  in 
love  and  very  handsome,  and  the  Stephanie  was  not 
adroit."    Then  the  gossips  sighed.  .  .  . 

Whether  the  death  of  the  Crown  Prince  at  his  Meyer- 
ling  shooting-lodge  was  accident,  suicide,  or  murder; 
whether  the  party  was  sober  or  intoxicated,  there  is  no 
doubt  that  Prince  Philip  of  Coburg — who  was  married 
to  another  Belgian  princess  and,  consequently,  Rudolf's 
brother-in-law  as  well  as  friend — acted  with  tact  and 
promptitude  when  the  tragedy  occurred.  Before  any 
one  was  up  next  morning  the  Empress  had  been  awak- 
ened at  the  Hofburg  palace  and  informed.  She  had  been 
vastly  brave,  and  had  faced  the  situation  with  the  pride 
which  always  characterized  her.  After  a  moment  to 
steady  herself,  she  had  said  she  would  in  person  tell  the 
Emperor,  and  had  gone  about  her  errand  at  once.  He 
was  more  bowed  than  she  by  Fate's  blow,  but  together 
they  had  traversed  the  ordeal  of  the  funeral  ceremonies, 
hushed  discussion  to  what  extent  they  could,  and  at  the 
time  of  our  arrival  in  Austria  were  more  than  dignified  in 
their  mourning — she  in  her  retreat,  he  with  courage^fac- 
ing  his  duties. 

Because  of  this  my  parents  had  little  social  life  at  the 
beginning  of  our  Austrian  experience.  After  meeting 
Kalnoky,  a  few  calls  and  presentations  followed,  and  they 
saw  colleagues  who  were  of  superior  or  equal  official  rank, 
ambassadors  and  ministers,  but  that  was  all. 

Spring  grew  into  stimmer.    My  father  had  taken  hold 


IN  VIENNA  71 

of  the  legation  work,  and  was  handling  it  so  that  the 
clerks  and  secretaries  were  amazed  at  how  much  they 
cotild  accomplish,  and  how  alive  they  were. 

An  apartment  had  been  found  for  us,  with  another  in 
the  same  building  for  the  legation  offices,  and  we  were 
to  take  possession  early  in  the  autumn.  Meanwhile  my 
parents*  furniture  had  been  cabled  for.  Unused  since 
the  Morristown  cottage  days,  we  all  rejoiced  over  the 
arrival  of  the  pretty  things  of  which  we  were  so  fond. 
It  was  decided  that  we  should  move  out  for  the  sum- 
mer to  a  quiet  little  country  hotel  situated  on  a  beautiful 
hillside,  near  Vienna,  where  a  valley  spread  with  cycla- 
men-blossoms, pink  and  white,  stretched  at  our  feet. 
The  summer  at  Baden  promised  to  be  very  agreeable. 

Before  we  went  to  the  cotmtry  the  subtle  charm  of  the 
Kaiserstadt  (Emperor's  city)  was  at  work  making  us 
welcome.  Soon  we  really  thought  the  people  most  lov- 
able and  their  backgroimd  as  entrancing  as  themselves. 
It  pleased  us  to  think  we  were  to  live  in  this  frame  for  a 
time;  foiu*  years,  perhaps,  if  all  went  well?  Life  took  on 
a  new  interest,  even  to  a  little  girl. 

That  first  simimer  in  Austria  was  quite  different  from 
anything  I  had  ever  lived  through.  Baden,  and  beyond 
it,  Bad-Voslau,  where  we  went  for  the  month  of  August,' 
were  both  small  and  not  particularly  fashionable  resorts, 
but  had  the  great  advantage  of  being  near  town,  so  my 
father  could  spend  his  office  hours  at  the  Embassy.  Yet 
they  were  really  coimtrified  as  far  as  otu*  life  went,  and 
entirely  quiet  socially.  My  mother  found  them  restful. 
From  Voslau  the  view  out  over  the  valley  was  beautiful, 
on  the  order  of  that  over  Paris  from  St.  Germain,  but 
greener  and  with  a  greater  sweep  of  valley.  The  vegeta- 
tion along  drives  and  walks  through  the  country  was 
rich  and  varied,   there  were  large  swimming-baths  in 


72  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

pretty  surroundings,  which,  being  supplied  with  continu- 
ously running  water  from  naturally  warm  sulphur  springs, 
offered  us  children  much  pleasure.  The  largest  pool 
seemed  almost  a  lake,  and  there  were  excellent  swimming- 
masters.  We  took  swimming-lessons,  and  progressed 
rapidly.  I  foimd  afterward,  however,  it  was  much  easier 
to  swim  in  sulphur-charged  than  in  ordinary  water,  and 
that  I  was  far  from  seeming  proficient  elsewhere. 

Somehow  time  passed  very  quickly  in  these  surround- 
ings. We  were  the  only  foreigners  in  either  Baden 
or  Bad-Voslau,  and  we  knew  none  of  the  Austrians  about 
us.  One  could  not,  however,  but  admire  and  like  them 
as  one  looked  on.  Gay  and  sunny,  they  sang  and 
laughed,  and  never  quarrelled  nor  wore  discontented  faces. 
In  the  mornings  at  the  pool  they  shouted  with  one 
another,  and  if  I  found  myself  in  deep  water  a  friendly 
pair  of  eyes  seemed  always  watching  me,  and  a  friendly 
hand  was  outstretched  to  hold  my  chin,  with  a  cheering 
word  about  how  well  my  swimming  was  going.  In  the 
afternoon  one  saw  groups  in  pretty  clothes  wandering 
over  roads  or  fields,  the  girls*  arms  full  of  poppies  and 
corn-flowers,  daisies  and  buttercups.  Along  the  roadside 
were  scattered  farmhouses  with  vine-clad  arbors,  and 
there  were  always  little  family  parties  seated  in  the  green 
shade,  drinking  milk  or  beer  or  the  light  local  wines. 

It  was  on  Sundays  or  in  the  evenings,  though,  that 
spirits  were  highest.  No  matter  how  small  the  place, 
one  always  found  a  restaurant  or  two  with  tables  in  the 
open,  and  with  really  good  music  played  by  a  more  or 
less  important  orchestra.  All  the  population  turned  out 
to  sit  in  the  cool  air  for  hours,  eat  their  light  supper  and 
listen  to  their  national  operas  or  operettas,  or  dance  to 
the  inimitable  Strauss  waltzes,  as  only  young,  light- 
hearted  Austrians  can.     The  elders,  sipping  their  beer  or 


IN  VIENNA  73 

wine,  gently,  placidly  nodded  in  time  to  the  music,  with 
an  amiable  expression  on  their  fat  faces.  Nearly  all  the 
older  people  had  grown  heavy  with  comfortable  living, 
while  the  yoimgsters  moved  gracefully  and  were  usually 
slim.  Later,  as  I  grew  to  know  society  better  in  Vienna, 
I  noticed  that  among  the  nobility  only  the  women  put 
on  flesh  with  years,  evidently  from  their  sedentary  lives 
and  large  families,  while  riding,  shooting,  moimtain- 
climbing,  and  immense  activity,  both  in  their  civilian 
lives  and  their  military  profession,  as  well  as  in  the  super- 
intending of  the  work  on  their  estates,  kept  Austrian  men 
thin  as  well  as  immensely  alive  and  interested. 

Not  so  the  bourgeois  class  we  saw  at  Baden  or  Bad-  \ 
Voslau.  Apparently  "business"  meant  to  them  opening 
offices  or  shops  slowly  and  late,  carrying  on  the  day's 
work  in  a  spirit  of  contentment,  and  closing  up  as  early 
as  possible  to  return  to  their  ham-and-salad  supper  and 
the  endless  glasses  of  beer  en  famille  afterward.  I  am 
siire  no  two  middle-aged  business  men  ever  talked  shop 
after  office  hours  in  old  Austria,  and,  though  they  could 
scarcely  be  called  "live  wires, "  they  gave  the  impression 
of  making  a  solid,  reliable  class  for  the  foimdation  of  a 
political  state.  Such  peasants  as  we  saw  were  dull- 
looking  and  never  seemed  able  to  digest  what  one  said 
sufficiently  to  give  a  straight  reply;  but  they  partook  of 
the  general  amiability  and  struck  one  as  rather  helpless 
children,  content  with  their  lot,  devoted  to  their  Em- 
peror, and  without  the  slightest  ambition  to  move  on  in 
the  world. 

This  stability  in  the  Austrians'  lot  had  a  very  marked^ 
effect  on  the  people  of  all  classes.     The  nobility  were^ 
bom  where  they  were,  to  stay  there.     They  had  inter-  \ 
married  for  generations  and  everything  was  laid  out  for 
them  from  birth.     They  must  be  agreeable,  unpreten- 


74  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

tious,  truthful,  fine  sportsmen  and  accomplished  socially, 
but  no  one  asked  them  to  be  intense  or  intellectual  or 
ambitious;  and  they  never  were.  They  lived  in  their 
chateaux  in  summer  and  looked  after  their  people,  of 
whom  they  did  take  care  in  the  most  paternal  way. 
They  lived  in  dignity  and  state  in  winter  in  their  great 
palaces,  where,  except  for  an  occasional  ball,  they  enter- 
tained only  a  few  people,  and  those  quite  informally. 
Rarely  they  went  abroad.  One  or  two  sporty  couples 
went  to  England  each  year,  where  the  men  htmted  and 
the  women  shopped.  This  was  especially  the  case  in 
such  families  as  had  English  traditions  or  blood.  A  few 
of  the  men  took  long  shooting  trips  to  India,  Africa, 
Russia,  or  the  Rockies;  also  they  went  to  Paris  and 
Monte  Carlo  or  Biarritz  for  a  few  weeks'  change  and 
gaiety.  But  in  general  they  lived  at  home,  where  their 
own  court  society,  the  races  in  the  spring,  the  country  in 
simimer,  and  their  shooting  in  autumn  and  early  winter 
made  an  agreeable  routine  programme,  each  year  like 
the  other.  They  were  all  handsome,  high-bred,  and  ex- 
tremely winning,  but  not  much  varied  in  type,  and  per- 
haps giving  one  the  idea  that  they  had  mentally  stood 
still  for  a  long  time  with  no  desire  to  grow  in  any  way. 
Their  constant  intermarriages  made  them  so  interrelated 
that  one  was  always  surprised  things  went  as  well  as  they 
did  with  these  aristocratic  brains  and  bodies. 

In  the  middle  class,  tradition  seemed  as  powerful  as 
with  the  aristocracy.  One  had  a  feeling  the  bourgeois 
also  Hved  and  provided  for  his  family  on  the  same  plan 
his  ancestors  always  had.  They  kept  their  banks,  offices, 
and  shops,  their  hotels  or  apartments  in  certain  quarters 
of  the  city,  distinctly  theirs,  and  they  had  their  villas  out 
of  town,  with  fine  carriages  and  horses.  In  high-finance 
circles  society  was  gay,  extravagant,  and  showy,  and  in 


IN  VIENNA  75 

the  shopkeepers'  group  more  modest  but  equally  typ- 
ical. 

Beneath  these  three  classes  were  the  peasants.  None  of 
the  groups  intermingled  their  lives  except  inasmuch  as 
their  necessities  of  mutual  requirements  overlapped.  At 
church  the  nobles  sat  in  their  loges,  high  finance  and  the 
bourgeois  in  places  apart,  while  the  peasants  filled  the 
body  of  the  church;  but  all  stood  under  one  roof  and 
apparently  had  kindly,  tolerant  smiles  for  one  another. 
At  a  religious  or  patriotic  festival  the  peasant  on  the 
sidewalk,  the  bourgeois  in  the  window,  and  the  noble  in 
the  procession  were  all  warmly  devoted  to  church  and 
sovereign.  There  was  no  competition,  no  disdain,  none 
of  the  ill  feeling  brought  about  by  our  fight  for  existence 
or  our  ambition  to  shine.  Each,  no  matter  what  he  did, 
would  always  stay  in  the  station  to  which  he  was  bom, 
and  he  seemed  to  like  that  station  and  make  the  most  of 
it,  without  desire  to  climb. 

** Noblesse  oblige"  made  the  aristocrat  busy  himself 
with  his  duties  toward  the  state  and  the  peasant,  whom 
he  helped  and  took  care  of.  He  left  business  to  the 
bourgeois.  The  latter  handled  it  well,  and  the  peasant 
did  his  work,  which  was  rarely  too  hard,  and  took  his 
amusements  in  off  hours,  depending  on  his  landed  pro- 
prietor for  much  that  elsewhere  he  would  have  had  to 
think  of  himself — such  as  supplies  in  a  bad  year,  care  in 
illness,  or  a  decision  as  to  the  settlement  of  his  possible 
difficulty  with  a  brother  peasant.  Un-American  all  these 
arrangements  were,  but  with  certain  advantages,  for  each 
class  had  its  happiness  and  pleasures  at  their  appointed 
times,  and  on  the  whole  the  state  was  kept  and  well 
served,  and  the  people  looked  content. 

Provincial  and  narrow  and  in  some  ways  antiquated  in 
their  methods,  also  much  more  Oriental  than  ourselves, 


76  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

they  lacked  the  intense  push  we  prize;  but  the  Austrians 
used  up  less  strength,  had  to  stand  less  wear  and  tear, 
and  lived  longer.  One  saw  quite  old  couples  in  every 
walk  of  life  sitting  about,  resting  after  their  work  years. 
On  the  whole,  marriages  seemed  happy,  also,  and  masses 
of  children  crowded  about  parents  who  treated  them  well 
and  cared  for  them  lovingly,  even  if  rather  casually  be- 
cause of  their  numbers. 

Spending  three  or  four  months  in  the  country  gave  us 
an  opportunity  to  look  closely  at  the  people,  not  of  the 
capital  and  the  court  but  those  who  composed  the  mass 
of  the  Austrian  nation,  and  one  could  not  be  near  them 
without  recognizing  their  qualities.  Soft  voices,  gay 
spirits,  warm  hearts — they  radiated  kindness.  Never 
pushing,  not  caring  for  foreigners  at  all,  they  yet  were 
invariably  courteous  and  ready  to  serve  us  to  the  best  of 
their  ability.  A  sunny,  happy,  kindly,  innocent,  attrac- 
tive crowd  always — who  when  the  Emperor's  birthday, 
with  its  celebration  of  music  and  song,  occurred  put  all 
their  devotion  for  him  into  their  expressions  of  enthusi- 
asm. They  would  say  with  affectionate  tones:  "Unser 
Franzerl,  naturally  we  love  him,  for  he  is  so  echt  Wiener." 
Calling  him  "our  little  Francis"  and  saying  he  was  a 
"real  Viennese"  seemed  to  bring  the  man  close  to  them, 
not  as  the  great  ruler  but  as  one  of  themselves;  and 
truly,  later,  as  I  knew  him,  he  seemed  to  deserve  their 
sentiment  and  to  return  it  quite  sincerely. 

We  heard  from  many,  stories  of  his  fondness  for  his 
people ;  how  in  his  youth  he  adored  Vienna  and  its  citi- 
zens, wanting  them  to  enjoy  their  lives;  how  he  had 
helped  with  all  the  charities  and  amusements  for  the 
poor  of  the  city;  how  he  always  circulated  freely  and  in- 
formally among  them,  and  was  seen  on  the  Ring  con- 
stantly; how  there  was  none  so  humble  that  he  might 


IN  VIENNA  77 

not  go  direct  to  Francis  Joseph  and  tell  his  trouble,  sure 
of  a  hearing  and  sympathy,  and  often  also  having  justice 
or  assistance  given  him  by  the  Emperor's  personal  order. 
The  ruler's  simple  life  was  well  known,  and  tales  of  his 
unsi>oiled  ways  were  told ;  how  he  slept  in  a  camp-bed  in 
a  whitewashed  room  with  no  carpet,  in  the  midst  of  his 
fine  palaces;  how  he  rose  daily  at  4.30  a.  m.  and  began  his 
work,  afterward  eating  only  the  lightest  of  breakfasts; 
how  he  attended  mass  daily.  So  it  was,  His  Majesty 
gave  the  example  of  frugality  and  industry  to  his  people 
and  thought  of  them  while  his  empire  still  slept,  not  even 
disturbing  his  old  valet,  who  posed  to  the  outside  world 
as  the  master's  friend  and  confidant,  and  undoubtedly 
was  the  source  of  a  good  many  of  the  stories  which  cir- 
culated and  everywhere  created  a  pleasant  impression  of 
the  sovereign. 

After  the  Crown  Prince's  death  the  Emperor  buried 
himself  for  the  first  period  of  deep  mourning  at  the  pal- 
ace of  Schonbnmn,  alone  with  his  sad  thoughts  and  bit- 
ter disappointment,  while  his  people  waited  in  hushed 
sympathy  outside  his  gates.  When  he  drove  out  they 
stood  along  the  road  to  town  in  bareheaded  respect,  peer- 
ing anxiously  into  his  face  for  signs  of  recognition,  and 
looking  for  the  old  smile  they  had  grown  used  to.  Soon 
it  came  back,  at  least  for  those  whom  he  passed  thus,  or 
those  who  immediately  surroimded  him  in  his  household. 
Then  he  took  up  the  burden  of  his  duties;  but  after  his 
son's  disappearance  the  Emperor  gave  up  everything  but 
these  duties  of  his  great  position.  One  exception  he  made : 
the  shooting  in  season  on  his  various  estates. 

My  father  had  come  home  extremely  pleased  with  the 
sovereign,  when  at  his  first  reception  by  the  latter  he 
had  presented  his  credentials.  His  Majesty  had  shown 
infinite  cordiality;  had  said  he  was  immensely  glad  to 


I 


78  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

have  my  father  represent  the  United  States  in  Austria; 
had  told  how  well  he  remembered  receiving  my  grand- 
father at  Schonbrunn  many  years  before,  when  during 
his  trip  around  the  world  the  latter  stopped  for  a  while  in 
Vienna.  The  Emperor  asked  my  father  about  the  last 
years  of  President  Grant;  asked  news  of  grandmama, 
whom  he  also  remembered.  He  said  he  was  pleased 
she  liked  his  home  well  enough  to  return  again  now  on 
a  pleasure  trip.  Then  he  inquired  if  my  father  were 
married  and  had  children,  and  their  ages,  and  did  he 
shoot  ?  On  the  affirmative  reply  to  this,  he  went  on  to 
say  he  hoped  they  would  shoot  together  some  day,  and 
that  he  also  trusted  we  would  like  our  life  in  Vienna  and 
be  happy  there.  He  was  all  smiles  and  amiability,  very 
magnetic — an  example  of  what  a  man  in  his  situation 
should  be  to  win  the  hearts  of  those  who  approach  him. 
He  spoke  no  English  and  my  father  no  French,  but  each 
had  some  knowledge  of  the  language  which  the  other 
used,  so  though  an  interpreter  was  present  there  was  lit- 
tle translating  to  do. 

Several  times  I  saw  the  Emperor  in  the  streets  of  his 
capital  during  the  first  winter  we  spent  in  Vienna.  Oc- 
casionally he  passed  in  a  closed  carriage,  but  generally 
he  drove  in  a  victoria,  rather  an  informal-looking  small 
one,  where  the  back  of  his  seat  and  the  hood  were  low 
behind  him,  exposing  him  more  fully  to  view  than  seemed 
usual  in  such  vehicles.  He  seemed  to  show  himself  pur- 
posely to  the  passers-by,  and  he  looked  about  with  in- 
terest while  the  coachman,  in  rather  plain  livery,  drove 
two  fine  horses  rapidly.  I  do  not  remember  a  footman 
always  being  on  the  box,  nor  an  aide-de-camp  in  the 
trap,  though  there  may  have  been.  The  Emperor  ha- 
bitually wore  the  uniform  of  an  Austrian  general — or  per- 
haps a  field-marshal — with  a  full,   large  emerald-green 


IN  VIENNA  79 

plume;  and  I  recall  how  the  latter  floated  out  backward 
from  the  rapidity  of  motion ;  also  how  he  not  only  seri- 
ously saluted  when  people  bowed  or  curtseyed  at  the  road- 
side, but  how  he  would  smile  genially  and  give  a  friendly 
little  nod  frequently,  while  he  watched  humble  groups 
pass.  Each  person  attributed  this  apparent  recognition 
at  once,  to  himself  or  herself,  as  a  mark  of  favor. 

Francis  Joseph  was  very  erect  and  had  a  slender  figure 
for  his  age — ^fifty-nine  or  sixty,  I  think — with  the  healthy, 
ruddy  skin  of  one  who  spends  much  time  in  the  open  air. 
He  was  rather  bald,  with  white  hair  on  the  temples  and 
at  the  back  of  his  head.  All  the  hair  was  clipped  very 
short,  but  he  wore  fairly  long,  snow-white  whiskers,  and 
had  a  shaved  chin,  well  modelled;  thick  lips,  but  his 
mouth  seemed  mobile,  and  his  smile  was  agreeable.  His 
nose  was  heavy  and  a  little  too  short  to  be  called  aqui- 
line, though  it  seemed  that  shape  in  profile.  His  eyes,  I 
think,  were  gray.  One  remembered  them  less  for  their 
color  than  for  the  light  in  them — of  intense  sympathy  and 
interest  in  whomsoever  he  talked — and  for  the  amuse- 
ment which  often  suddenly  gleamed  in  them.  Alto- 
gether a  magnetic,  dignified  personality,  without  evi- 
dence of  effort  to  draw  one  to  him,  and  certainly  without 
pose,  was  the  Austrian  Emperor  in  1889. 

He  had  done  his  best  through  many  troubles  and 
failures  in  war  and  peace,  had  fought  intrigue  abroad 
and  at  home,  and  had  suffered  keenly;  yet  he  held  his 
people's  love,  respect,  and  admiration,  kept  all  the  vari- 
ous nations  of  his  empire  attached  to  himself,  however 
they  might  feel  toward  one  another,  and  in  many  ways 
had  managed  to  make  good.  At  last,  by  his  son's  death, 
he  stood  on  the  threshold  of  old  age  without  a  natural 
heir  prepared  to  follow  him.  One  of  a  group  of  nephews 
would  inherit  his  throne.     He  knew  them  to  be  unpopu- 


80  MY  LIFE.  HERE  AND  THERE 

lar,  yet  fate  had  thrust  them  now  into  the  place  of  his 
own  brilliant  Rudolf,  and  Francis  Joseph,  the  first  shock 
over,  turned  patiently  again  to  his  duties  as  a  ruler,  and 
to  the  more  delicate  task  of  educating  Francis  Ferdinand, 
the  son  of  his  brother,  for  the  succession ;  an  effort,  nobly 
faced  without  complaint. 

We  got  back  to  town  early  in  the  auttmm.  The  lega- 
tion moved  into  its  new  quarters  and  we  into  the  big 
apartment  over  it,  amid  the  American  furniture,  which 
had  arrived.  There  was  much  joy  and  excitement  in  un- 
packing otir  things  and  installing  them  in  our  foreign 
home,  where  there  was  plenty  of  room  to  spread  out.  As 
they  were  made  habitable  the  great  spaces  looked  very 
well  indeed.  Our  entrance  and  marble  stairs  were  quite 
imposing,  and  the  apartments  opened  up  nicely,  from  a 
very  light  large  front  hall,  where  were  grouped  many 
typical  souvenirs  of  America. 

Among  these  hung  a  number  of  rare  and  beautiful  red 
Indian  head-dresses,  of  feathers,  beads,  and  leather,  given 
to  my  father,  or  captured  by  him  in  the  Far  Western 
fights  in  which  he  had  spent  his  early  years  of  service. 
There  was  one  whole  dress  of  wonderful  bead  embroidery, 
bright  blue  in  tone  and  so  heavy  I  could  not  lift  it,  which 
had  belonged  to  a  red  chief's  daughter.  There  were,  be- 
sides, various  arms — spears  or  guns  father  had  captured, 
as  well  as  his  own  guns,  with  which  Indians  in  battle,  or 
buffalo  for  food  and  robes,  had  been  killed.  All  through 
the  years  we  spent  in  old  Vienna  this  collection  of  tro- 
phies was  slowly  augmented.  One  after  another  heads, 
antlers,  and  stuffed  birds  arrived,  marked  with  dates  and 
the  names  of  the  estates  on  which  they  had  been  killed, 
and  many  sportsmen  wandered  out  into  that  hall  after 
dinner  or  tea  to  examine  and  compare  these  with  some 
thev  had  heard  of  elsewhere. 


IN  VIENNA  81 

My  father  was  in  his  element  among  these  first-class 
sportsmen,  some  of  whom  had  world-wide  records.  His 
own  included  grizzly  bear  and  buffalo,  as  well  as  deer 
and  smaller  game  in  the  United  States,  tiger  and  elephant 
in  India,  and  various  animals  on  the  African  continent;  all 
that  had  been  within  his  reach  anywhere  he  had  travelled. 

The  Emperor,  remembering  their  conversation,  "com- 
manded" my  father  to  an  early  shooting  party  of  the 
court,  a  formal  affair.  On  that  first  day  he  beat  the 
other  guns  and  established  his  reputation.  He  returned 
home  somewhat  weary  from  the  effort  of  walking  and 
sport  after  years  when  he  had  not  held  a  gun,  but  de- 
lighted with  the  perfection  of  organization  and  the  quan- 
tity of  the  game.  He  had  been  congratulated  and 
praised  by  all  the  other  sportsmen,  the  Emperor  in- 
cluded, who  had  said  to  him,  "if  he  shot  like  that  he 
must  come  again,  and  often!"  It  was  the  custom  that 
each  chief  of  mission  who  could  handle  a  gun  was  invited 
once  every  autumn  to  a  day  of  imperial  sport.  One  or 
two  exceptions,  men  really  fond  of  it,  were  asked  to  shoot 
several  times.  My  father  was  one  of  these  fortunate 
sportsmen  at  once,  and  after  the  second  season  we  spent 
in  Austria  he  was,  I  believe,  included  in  every  shooting 
party  near  Vienna  which  the  Emperor  gave ;  much  to  his 
own  delight,  for  my  father  loved  the  long  days  in  the 
open,  the  congenial  companions,  and  the  fine  opportunity 
to  use  his  own  skill.  He  also  valued  the  relations  so 
established,  which  gave  him  opportimity  to  place  a  word 
now  and  again  to  the  great  advantage  of  the  work  he 
was  in  Austria  to  do. 

An  Emperor  in  shooting  garb,  or  a  Minister  of  Foreign 
Affairs  over  a  hunt  picnic  luncheon,  must  necessarily  be 
in  less  formal  and  less  defensive  mood  to  handle  busi- 
ness; and  they  soon  learned  to  trust  and  like  the  \mpre- 


82  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

tentious,  honest,  and  very  capable  representative  of 
America's  interests. 

Franz,  the  legation  footman  who  had  met  us  at  the 
station  on  that  morning  of  our  arrival,  was  much  hon- 
ored that  my  father,  finding  on  inquiry  he  knew  all 
about  firearms,  had  promoted  him  to  be  "himtsman" 
instead  of  looking  farther  afield  for  some  one  to  fill  this 
place.  With  happiness  the  man  would  lay  aside  his  liv- 
ery and  don  homespun  and  leather  clothes,  and  if  my 
mother  chanced  to  make  some  plan  for  the  shooting  days 
he  would  reproachfully  say  to  her:  "Excellenz  forget; 
Excellenz  and  me,  we  go  to  shoot  mit  Majestat  to-mor- 
row— we  make  no  calls."  Franz  was  devoted  to  the 
Emperor  and  glad  to  be  in  the  latter's  neighborhood 
where  he  could  see  him;  also  he  snobbishly  enjoyed  his 
rank  of  himtsman ;  but  most  of  all  he  was  intensely  proud 
of  my  father's  enormous  bags,  and  he  counted  the  pheas- 
ants, hares,  or  other  animals  which  were  put  out  of  com- 
mission with  a  feeling  of  glory.  Always  on  their  return 
he  would  annoimce  with  grave  triumph,  *' To-day  Excel- 
lenz kill  most  hares,"  or  "To-day  Excellenz  get  next 
most  hares.  One  other  have  much  better  luck,  more 
hare  run  to  him — Excellenz  not  miss  !"  But  Franz  liked 
the  shorter  announcement  best,  and  generally  was  lucky 
in  being  satisfied  that  his  candidate  had  carried  off  the 
honors. 

Besides  these  big  shoots  on  the  imperial  estates,  my 
father  had  opportunities,  always  seized,  of  getting 
chamois  or  capercailzie  on  the  mountainous  estates  of 
various  huntsmen  he  had  met  before.  Among  these  were 
Prince  Henry  Liechtenstein  and  Prince  Montenuevo. 
The  latter  was  head  of  the  house  descended  from  Napo- 
leon's Austrian  Empress  and  her  second  husband,  mar- 
ried when  she  returned  to  her  home  country  after  the  Res- 


IN  VIENNA  83 

toration  in  France.  Liechtenstein  and  Montenuevo  had 
been  in  the  United  States  on  a  shooting  trip  to  the 
Rockies  in  my  father's  young  days,  and  the  latter  had 
been  a  member  of  their  party,  so  that  they  had  chummed 
during  weeks  of  rough  frontier  life. 

When  we  reached  Vienna  these  sportsmen  came  to  call 
at  once  and  Prince  and  Princess  Montenuevo  were  most 
friendly  and  charming,  and  invited  my  parents  to  their 
home.  Afterward  my  father  and  Montenuevo  did  much 
shooting  together.  Liechtenstein  had  not  married.  He 
was  one  of  the  handsomest  men  in  Austria,  and  one  of 
the  greatest  sportsmen.  A  younger  son  of  the  reigning 
house  whose  name  he  bore,  he  used  his  income  wander- 
ing, and  when  at  home  lived  quietly  in  a  small  flat  at  his 
brother's  palace.  He  rarely  went  about  in  society, 
though  when  he  did  go  he  dwarfed  every  one  by  his 
size,  looks,  and  wit.  A  most  cultured  cosmopolitan,  at 
home  in  Paris  and  London  as  well  as  in  Vienna,  he  was 
content  to  live  for  books  and  sport,  with  an  occasional 
romance,  which  he  managed  to  handle  adroitly  enough 
to  avoid  both  scandal  and  broken  hearts.  He  and  my 
father  had  much  in  common  in  politics,  their  military 
life,  books,  and  travel,  as  well  as  sport.  They  also  had 
many  friends  in  common  scattered  about  the  world,  and 
Liechtenstein  made  himself  delightful  to  my  mother  and 
became  a  frequenter  of  her  salon  in  an  informal  way. 
He  had  been  initiated  into  the  Order  of  Malta  or  of  St. 
John  of  Jerusalem,  and  could  not  marry,  he  said;  and  he 
would  laugh  and  exclaim:  **Why  should  I,  Mrs.  Grant? 
I  am  old,  and  my  brother  is  married.  He  has  five  sons 
or  more;  surely  that  is  enough  !"  But  rimior  had  it  that 
Henry  Liechtenstein  wandered  and  was  a  knight  because 
of  some  fair  lady  whom  he  could  not  marry,  but  to  whom 
for  years  he  had  given  his  allegiance. 


84  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

If  he  wore  such  chains  they  must  have  weighed  on  him 
Hghtly,  for  he  was  cheerful  company,  and  in  the  years  I 
knew  him  I  never  saw  him  refuse  to  smile  on  any  attrac- 
tive woman.  He  made  himself  so  agreeable  that  many 
a  feminine  sigh  went  up  to  heaven  over  his  travelling 
propensities,  which  savored  of  a  desire  for  escape.  He 
was  one  of  the  most  interesting  and  splendid  figures  in 
all  my  impressions  of  Vienna,  and  my  father  and  he  were 
warm  friends  again  in  their  prime,  as  they  had  been  in 
youth.  Prince  Liechtenstein  introduced  my  parents  to 
his  family.  We  found  the  members  of  it  knew  almost  no 
foreigners  and  realized  not  at  all  what  was  going  on  in 
the  great  world  outside  their  frame.  With  a  quaint  ex- 
pression of  despair  when  my  mother  would  say,  *'How 
can  you  go  away  and  leave  such  charming  surroundings 
for  long,  wild  trips?*'  Liechtenstein  would  reply:  **Yes, 
of  course  you  are  right,  they  are  charming,  but  they  are 
all  my  family  here,  and  I  must  take  the  air  sometimes 
and  see  those  who  are  not  my  family.  Here  in  Vienna  I 
get  into  a  cab  on  the  Ring  and  say  *Take  me  home,*  and 
the  fiacre  looks  at  me  and  drives  to  my  door.  It  is  not 
interesting  to  be  only  with  those  who  have  known  you 
since  you  were  bom,  so  though  I  like  to  be  here  I  also 
must  go  away  sometimes  to  breathe.** 

Years  after  we  left  Vienna  I  met  Henry  Liechtenstein 
in  Paris,  in  the  salon  of  a  great  beauty.  He  was  a  star 
still  in  a  most  distinguished  constellation,  and  had  kept 
his  active  brain  and  handsome  figure,  though  his  hair 
was  grown  white.  We  met  as  old  friends,  and  I  enjoyed 
his  quaint  conversation,  which  carried  me  back  to  my 
early  youth.  He  showed  real  enthusiasm  in  asking  for 
my  parents,  and  he  came  to  see  me  once  or  twice,  before 
I  left  Paris,  to  talk  of  them  and  of  old  times. 

Later,  on  another  trip,  I  saw  his  towering  figure  in  the 


IN  VIENNA  85 

crowd  on  the  Rue  de  la  Paix — handsome  still,  but  his 
face  much  aged.  He  recognized  me  and  stopped  to 
make  the  usual  friendly  inquiries.  I  told  him  I  was 
departing  that  day  for  Russia.  He  said:  ''I  am  sorry, 
but  give  my  friends  there  my  remembrances  and  also 
messages  to  your  dear  parents,  when  you  write  to  them.'* 
Then  we  passed  on  our  several  ways,  to  meet  no  more, 
for  shortly  afterward  I  heard  that  Liechtenstein  had 
died  in  Vienna.  Since  the  war  I  have  been  glad  he  did 
not  live  to  see  the  misery  in  his  own  country,  his  family 
scattered  and  sacrificed,  and  all  his  friends  in  the  Allied 
nations  grown  to  be  the  enemies  of  what  he  represented. 
To  me  Liechtenstein  stood  for  all  that  was  best  in  Aus- 
tria, under  the  old  r6gime  and  traditions. 

I  remember  once  some  one  spoke  before  me  of  a  trait 
Austrian  servants  showed  of  agreeing  with  their  masters, 
even  to  the  point  of  asserting  things  of  which  they  knew 
nothing  or  which  they  knew  to  be  tmtrue,  rather  than 
to  contradict  or  tell  an  unpleasant  bit  of  news.  Liech- 
tenstein showed  great  tolerance  of  what  some  other  per- 
son present  had  dubbed  the  ''Austrian  people's  tendency 
to  lie."  My  father  said,  smiling:  "But  you  yourself  and 
your  class  never  would  lie.  Why  do  you  defend  it  in 
your  people?"  "Well,"  said  Liechtenstein  slowly,  as 
if  for  the  first  time  this  point  was  brought  up  in  his 
mind,  "we  of  the  nobility  can't  lie.  We  have  the  obli- 
gation to  be  different  from  our  people  and  more  carefully 
realize  values — to  be  gentlemen — ^while  our  people  are 
like  children — they  have  many  good  traits  and  impulses, 
but  not  the  obligation  to  be  responsible  or  entirely  truth- 
ful. Yet  it  is  not  wickedness  when  they  do  not  tell  the 
exact  facts;  it  is  more  a  desire  to  please  or  to  be  polite 
and  amiable.  Sometimes,  also,  it  is  due  to  fear,  a  luxury 
the  aristocrat  cannot  permit  himself.** 


86  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

I  began  to  understand  that  in  Austria  nobility  was 
not  a  matter  of  mere  palaces  and  jewels,  riches  and 
power,  but  also  a  matter  of  bravery,  honesty,  and  loyal 
protection  to  those  who  had  been  confided  to  the  aristo- 
crats as  ''their  people."  The  latter  gave  work  and 
faithful  devotion  in  exchange  for  protection  and  care 
to  them  and  theirs,  in  hard  times  or  illness,  and  it  might 
be  that,  though  their  ideals  were  not  ours,  a  good  deal  was 
to  be  said  for  the  beauty  of  lives  and  traditions  under 
such  a  monarchy. 

So  I  discovered  little  by  little  that  ancient  lands  have 
qualities  as  well  as  our  homeland  for  which  we  claim 
such  high  ideals.  Both  suffer  by  the  fact  that  in  reduc- 
ing theory  to  practice  individual  men  contaminate  ideals 
by  casual  interpretations;  but  even  if  one  loves  the  new 
world  better,  it  is  no  reason  to  accuse  the  old  of  all  the 
vices.  As  I  grew  to  know  Austria  and  the  Austrians,  I 
grew  also  to  love  them  and  our  life  there.  They  seemed 
all  to  dislike  the  Germans,  took  great  pains  to  use  with 
affectation  their  own  Viennese  patois,  which  had  a  much 
softer  sound  than  the  language  of  the  northern  Teutons. 
The  Viennese  dialect  was  used  in  the  small  theatres  both 
at  Baden  and  Bad-Voslau,  where,  by  the  way,  the  per- 
formances were  varied  and  very  first  class.  It  was  used 
also  in  the  operettas,  the  imperial  theatre,  and  even  the 
opera,  where  altogether  classic  programmes  were  given 
by  companies  of  the  best  talent  in  Europe.  The  Em- 
peror and  his  court  spoke  entirely  in  the  same  language 
used  by  the  cabmen  and  market-women,  who  had  coined 
this  soft,  pretty  idiom.  Nothing  pleased  people  more 
than  for  strangers  to  affect  their  way  of  slurring  and 
swallowing  words  and  softening  consonants  or  dropping 
them,  or  changing  terminations  of  the  harsh  German 
diminutives,  and  saying  Maderl  for  Madchen,  or  Lamperl 
for  Lampchen. 


m  VIENNA  87 

We  children  took  to  the  ways  of  the  Austrians  quickly, 
and  had  an  Austrian  Fratdein  Mitzi  to  teach  us  through 
the  summer.  In  the  autimm  my  brother  entered  the 
Th6resianum,  the  great  school  founded  by  Maria  Theresa 
for  her  nobility.  It  was  difficult  to  enter  and  stay  there 
because,  firstly,  the  Austrian  of  rank  only  was  accepta- 
ble, and,  secondly,  the  course  was  difficult  for  any  out- 
sider to  follow.  But  a  few  exceptions  had  been  made, 
and  at  the  time  my  brother  entered,  the  yoimg  Egyptian 
who  afterward  became  Khedive  was  the  only  other 
foreigner  in  the  Ther6sianimi.  He  was  in  a  class  a  year 
or  two  ahead  of  my  brother.  Aged  eight,  the  latter  was 
taken  by  us  all  one  morning  to  begin  his  new  life  in  the 
great  building.  Leaving  him  there  to  fight  out  his  des- 
tiny among  strange  boys  and  teachers  nearly  broke  my 
mother's  heart,  and  she  always  regarded  the  years  he 
spent  in  the  Theresianimi  as  a  terrible  experience  in  her 
child's  life,  I  think. 

Really,  it  was  difficult  to  fit  oneself  into  new  ideas  and 
use  a  new  language.  The  course  was  a  more  serious  one 
than  that  into  which  small  boys  in  America  plunge  when 
they  first  go  to  school,  but  on  the  whole,  after  a  few 
weeks,  my  brother  liked  his  companions  and  teachers. 
At  any  rate,  for  four  years  he  did  well  and  seemed  to 
have  an  excellent  feeling  for  those  with  whom  he  asso- 
ciated. 

In  the  Legation  offices  all  went  smoothly.  My  father 
liked  his  staff,  especially  his  naval  and  military  attaches 
(the  latter  was  an  old  comrade  of  his  West  Point  days), 
and  both  had  charming  wives;  so  his  ofificial  family  was 
a  gay  and  happy  group. 


CHAPTER  IV 

VIENNA  SILHOUETTES 

AT  the  head  of  the  corps  of  diplomatic  representa- 
tives stood  the  magnificent  figure  of  Monsignor  Ga- 
limberti,  soon  afterward  Cardinal,  and  the  intimate 
friend  of  His  Holiness.  Galimberti  was  considered  one 
of  the  handsomest,  cleverest,  most  cultivated,  and  affable 
men  in  Europe,  and  wielded  immense  power  with  His 
Apostolic  Majesty,  the  Austrian  Emperor,  first  son  of  the 
Church  of  Rome.  Galimberti  enjoyed  society  immensely, 
and  always  played  a  great  r61e,  with  his  rank  and  brains 
and  beauty  of  robes  and  feature.  A  man  somewhat  over 
fifty,  high-bred,  and  with  quick,  clear  eyes,  he  led  the 
conversation  and  captivated  those  who  surrounded  him, 
whether  in  his  capacity  of  prelate,  man  of  the  world, 
statesman,  or  merely  a  human  being.  He  was  seeming- 
ly very  unpretentious,  with  a  kindly  word  for  the  foot- 
man who  took  his  cloak  or  the  child  who  was  presented 
to  him.  Italian  by  birth  and  traditions,  he  was  cosmo- 
politan by  education,  and  quite  unbiassed,  and  he  made 
himself  sincerely  admired.  He  found  time  often  to  stop 
in  at  my  mother's  for  a  chat,  and  the  success  of  the 
Protestant  American  couple  in  winning  and  holding  his 
interest  caused  much  talk,  we  heard,  among  their  Cath- 
olic rivals  for  the  prelate's  attentions. 

Next  came  the  Italian  Ambassador,  who  in  looks, 
charm,  intellect,  and  dignity  was  a  social  rival  of  the 
papal  nuncio.  The  two  men,  of  course,  politically  be- 
longed to  different  factions,  though  Count  Nigra  was  a 
Catholic.  But  he  represented  the  King,  who  in  United 
Italy  was  the  usurper  of  the  Vatican's  temporal  power. 


VIENNA  SILHOUETTES  89 

according  to  the  Pontiff.  The  Holy  Father  did  not  re- 
ceive King  Humbert  or  the  beautiful  Queen  Margherita, 
and  could  not  himself  move  beyond  the  gardens  of  the 
Vatican.  Austria's  Emperor,  I  think,  was  in  a  difficult 
position,  for  his  title  of  Apostolic  Majesty  had  been 
given  by  the  Roman  popes  centuries  ago,  and  the  Haps- 
burgs  had  always  been  the  most  enthusiastic  supporters 
and  the  "eldest  children"  of  the  Vatican,  while,  since 
the  Triple  Alliance  had  been  inaugurated,  the  King  of 
Italy,  like  the  German  Emperor,  was  Francis  Joseph's 
friend  and  ally.  Within  the  century  and  his  own  reign, 
Germany  had  captured  Austrian  provinces  in  the  north, 
while  Italy  had  seized  Tuscan  and  Venetian  lands,  and 
the  old  Grand  Duke  of  Tuscany  lived  in  exile  in  Vienna 
under  the  protection  of  his  Hapsburg  cousin. 

Coimt  Nigra  was  just  the  man  to  ease  a  strained 
situation.  Of  international  reputation  for  his  suave  and 
supple  qualities  of  brain  and  manner,  a  man  of  wealth 
and  ctdture,  he  made  the  Italian  Embassy  the  scene  of 
constant  and  most  agreeable  small  parties.  Bores  were 
not  admitted  except  at  a  few  big  official  parties,  and  then 
they  were  so  overbalanced  by  wits  and  beauties  that  they 
seemed  unable  to  tarnish  their  surroundings,  as  elsewhere 
they  might.  Nigra,  himself  a  delightful  conversation- 
alist, led  off  in  the  gaiety  of  his  feasts,  and  his  cordon  bleu 
was  one  of  the  best  chefs  in  a  capital  famous  for  its 
admirable  food.  A  series  of  official  dinners  occurred 
each  year  at  the  Italian  Embassy,  where  the  court  and 
diplomatic  corps  were  agreeably  mixed,  and  at  these  pre- 
sided in  turn,  once  each,  the  wives  of  the  host's  col- 
leagues. The  wife  of  an  ambassador  or  minister  was 
glad  always  to  mention  she  was  to  play  hostess  at  the 
banquet  of  such  a  date.  Therefore  there  was  consider- 
able conversation,  some  of  it  a  little  acid,  when  it  was 


90  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

discovered  by  close  observers  that  there  had  been  three 
or  four  dinners  in  one  season  at  which  my  mother  had 
done  the  honors,  and  that  by  degrees  Coimt  Nigra  more 
and  more  frequently  invited  the  pretty  American  lady  to 
sit  at  the  head  of  his  great  board. 

Both  my  mother  and  father  enjoyed  the  Italian's  par- 
ties extremely,  for  they  were  soon  favored  by  the  friend- 
ship of  those  men  and  women  Nigra  frequented.  Con- 
sequently my  parents  felt  at  home  at  these  gatherings, 
which  were  as  informal  as  possible,  in  spite  of  their  ele- 
gance, the  beautiful  appointments  of  flowers  and  silver, 
and  the  damasks  and  art  collections  with  which  the 
talented  old  bachelor  surrounded  himself. 

It  was  amusing  to  notice  how  pleased  people  were  by 
an  invitation  from  him,  and  how  the  women  prepared 
and  reserved  their  best  gowns  for  the  frame  of  the  Italian 
Embassy,  while  men  would  speak  of  the  good  dinner  to 
come,  and  the  probably  interesting  talk.  To  Count 
Nigra*s  credit  it  must  be  said  that  in  four  seasons  I  never 
heard  of  any  one  who  was  disillusioned  by  what  he  offered 
them  in  the  way  of  entertainment.  Aside  from  his 
superficial  gifts,  he  was  admired  and  beloved.  I  saw  him 
often  after  I  made  my  debut,  and  was  really  touched 
when  months  after  I  rettuned  to  America  the  mail  one 
morning  brought  me  a  New  Year's  greeting  with  the 
best  of  wishes  for  my  success  in  America,  signed  "Nigra." 

After  his  signal  services  at  the  Hapsburg  court,  where 
he  had  established  the  best  of  relations  between  old  and 
hereditary  enemies,  this  distinguished  diplomat  received 
the  recompense  he  merited  at  his  King's  hands,  and  was 
recalled  to  Rome  to  take  over  the  Ministry  of  Foreign 
Affairs.  Some  years  later  he  died,  mourned  by  a  host  of 
friends  the  world  over.  Constantly  in  my  later  life  I 
found  a  bond  with  some  stranger  through  our  mutual 
admiration  and  fondness  for  Count  Nigra. 


GENERAL  FREDERICK   DENT   GRANT  AT  THE  TIME   OF   THE 
SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR. 


VIENNA  SILHOUETTES  91 

Germany,  the  third  member  of  the  **Triplice,*'  was 
represented  at  Vienna  by  the  best  they  could  send, 
Prince  Henry  of  Reuss,  a  cultivated  and  agreeable  aris- 
tocrat, elderly  and  dignified.  His  Embassy  palace  was 
in  the  new  part  of  town  and  seemed  showy,  large,  impos- 
ing, uninteresting,  and  somewhat  arrogant  in  its  nouveau- 
riche  gilding  and  its  modem  portraits  of  equally  modem 
emperors.  Prince  Reuss  and  his  wife  were  not  them- 
selves so  new  as  their  surroundings,  however.  She,  of 
Saxe- Weimar  blood,  though  heavy,  red-faced,  and  typ- 
ically German  in  looks  and  dress,  had  brains  far  beyond 
the  recipe  of  the  young  Emperor  William  for  the  women 
of  his  empire,  when  he  said  they  should  be  exclusively 
interested  in  their  "Kirche,  Kinder,  und  Kuche  "  (church, 
children,  and  kitchens).  Princess  Reuss's  ancestors  had 
been  among  the  small  German  sovereigns  who  cultivated 
the  arts,  and  Goethe  at  Weimar  had  lived  all  the  latter 
part  of  his  life  as  their  proteg6.  Her  father  was  own 
brother  to  Augusta,  old  Emperor  William's  wife.  Em- 
peror Frederick  was  therefore  Princess  Reuss's  first 
cousin,  and  William  H  was  her  second  cousin.  She  had 
apparently  no  particular  scruple  in  showing  that  she  did 
not  agree  with  various  parts  of  her  yoimg  sovereign's 
policy.  She  frankly  said  his  attitude  toward  his  parents 
and  toward  Bismarck  was  all  that  was  arrogant  and  lack- 
ing in  the  respect  due  them. 

Finally,  when  Bismarck  was  summarily  dismissed  by 
William  H,  the  ex-Chancellor  passed  through  Vienna  on 
his  way  for  a  cure,  and  Princess  Reuss  chose  the  moment 
to  make  a  conspicuous  demonstration  by  going  to  call  on 
him.  She  announced  to  all  her  friends  she  did  so  be- 
cause she  had  been  brought  up  to  see  in  Bismarck  the 
genius  who  built  Germany,  for  which  good  Germans 
should  not  be  ungrateful.  She  added  further  spicy  re- 
marks, suggesting  that  in  her  opinion  the  German  Em- 


92  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

peror  was  ignorant  and  young,  and  should  be  shown  how 
to  behave.  I  fancy  WiUiam  II  was  aheady  far  beyond 
learning  from  any  one,  least  of  all  from  his  cousin.  Reuss 
himself  made  no  sign,  and  one  cotdd  only  wonder  how 
far  his  silence  was  official,  and  whether  he  approved  or 
disagreed  with  his  wife.  He  let  her  talk  without  pro- 
testing, however,  and  she  went  to  call  on  Bismarck  while 
her  husband  stayed  shut  up  in  the  Embassy. 

Vienna  discussed  and  enjoyed  the  situation  very  much 
indeed,  for  I  think  honestly  the  gentle  Austrians  cared 
little  for  their  northern  allies.  Doubtless  Berlin  echoed 
this,  and  the  upshot  was  that  after  a  few  months  Prince 
Reuss,  who  was  older  than  his  wife  by  nearly  twenty 
years,  retired  from  the  diplomatic  service.  They  re- 
turned to  Germany  to  educate  their  children  shortly 
before  my  father  took  us  home  to  the  United  States. 

Princess  Reuss  had  the  qualities  of  her  race,  for  she 
was  a  fine  musician,  a  serious  reader  and  thinker,  with 
an  admirable  practical  mind  and  sincere  convictions. 
My  father  enjoyed  conversing  with  her,  as  did  other 
brainy  men,  who  were  always  interested  in  her  conclusions 
on  the  political  questions  of  the  day.  She  was  a  student 
of  art  and  history,  and  could  be  very  amiable  and  alto- 
gether simple,  but  she  was  immensely  direct,  thought  it 
not  worth  while  to  make  an  effort  when  there  was  no 
feeling  of  sympathy  behind  it,  and,  consequently,  ignored 
a  good  many  smaller  people,  when  her  smiling  on  them 
might  have  contributed  to  her  general  popularity  or  made 
the  f^tes  at  the  German  Embassy  more  brilliant  than  they 
ever  appeared  to  be  in  Vienna's  season.  She  seemed  a 
very  devoted  but  somewhat  severe  mother,  with  three 
nice  children,  two  sons  and  a  daughter. 

Twenty  or  more  years  after  all  this,  in  Russia,  I  met 
the  latter  again,  a  typical,  gentle,  round-faced  girl,  get- 


VIENNA  SILHOUETTES  93 

ting  on  in  life,  still  unmarried,  and  with  a  subdued  look. 
I  no  longer  felt  I  knew  her  well  enough  to  ask  what  her 
life  had  been,  but  I  fancied  it  was  not  a  gay  one. 

Outside  the  "Triplice"  ambassadors,  there  were  their 
rivals,  though  so  excellent  were  social  relations  that  no 
friction  ever  occurred.  As  an  individual,  first  among 
these  stood  Prince  Lobanoff,  the  Russian  Ambassador,  a 
bachelor,  a  student  of  people,  history,  and  politics,  a  man 
of  immense  distinction  and  charm  of  mind  and  manner. 
Rich,  with  collections  of  books,  furniture,  and  works  of 
art,  he  represented  the  best  Russia  could  produce.  A 
Slav,  artistic,  supple,  strong,  amiable,  simple,  a  delightful 
companion  and  a  warm  friend,  he  was  a  most  able  repre- 
sentative of  his  Emperor.  Both  the  latter's  noble, 
splendid  nature  and  his  strength  were  felt;  for  Alexan- 
der III,  the  home-loving  autocrat,  was  reigning  then  in 
St.  Petersburg  and  made  his  power  for  good  realized,  in 
wholesome  fashion,  all  over  Europe.  The  Ambassador 
was  well  surrounded  by  able  men  and  attractive  women, 
and  the  latter  received  with  him  to  perfection.  We  grew 
unaccountably  intimate  with  them,  as  one  does  with 
Russians,  who  are  always  natural  and  charming.  For 
many  years  afterward  we  kept  up  the  warm  relations 
formed. 

My  father  and  Lobanoff  corresponded  after  we  left 
Vienna  imtil  the  latter  died.  He  had,  like  Nigra,  been 
recalled  to  his  own  land  to  a  high  post  under  Nicholas  II. 
At  the  time  of  his  death  he  still  filled  this  post.  Among 
his  papers  was  found  an  analysis  of  his  sovereign's  char- 
acter, judging  the  latter  most  exactly  both  in  his  good 
qualities  and  his  weaknesses,  a  portrait  which  afterward 
our  Emperor  unconsciously  lived  up  to  in  every  detail, 
proving  what  an  admirable  psychologist  Prince  Lobanoff 
was. 


94  MY  UFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

Very  shortly  before  his  death  Lobanoff  sent  my  father 
a  fine  photogravure  of  a  painting  of  him  which  had  just 
been  completed.  Then  we  heard  of  his  death  and  thought 
the  thread  was  broken,  but  years  later  my  Russian 
brother-in-law  married  the  distinguished  old  man's  grand- 
niece,  and  I  found  myself  surrounded  in  the  latter's  salon 
with  Lobanoff  souvenirs,  some  of  which  were  gathered 
in  Austria  in  those  old  days,  when  I  had  known  him. 

Prince  Lobanoff's  Embassy  counsellor  was  Prince  Greg- 
ory Cantacuzdne,  a  relative  of  my  own  future  husband, 
and  I  knew  his  daughter  well  and  was  very  fond  of  her 
in  our  youth,  little  dreaming  we  should  be  connected  some 
day,  or  that  our  boys  would  be  classmates  in  the  Russian 
Imperial  Lyceum.  There  were  several  other  members 
of  the  Russian  Embassy  in  Vienna  whom  I  met  again  in 
my  adopted  home  and  with  whom  the  relations  estab- 
lished long  before  were  later  taken  up  with  pleasure. 

The  British  Ambassador  was  a  sunny,  agreeable,  good- 
natured  sportsman — Sir  Augustus  Paget — handsome, 
friends  with  every  one,  very  keen  about  shooting  and  the 
races,  which  were  so  good  in  Austria.  He  was  well  over 
sixty  years  old,  but  was  learning  to  skate  with  enthusiasm 
and  vigor,  genially  admitting  he  had  had  small  pads  put 
into  the  elbows  of  his  skating-jacket  and  into  various 
other  vulnerable  spots  as  well,  where  experience  had 
taught  him  it  was  wise  to  protect  himself.  Lady  Paget 
had  been,  and  was  still,  at  fifty  or  more,  a  great  beauty, 
with  enchanting  clothes  and  distinguished  manners  and 
conversation,  and  she  made  the  Embassy  an  attractive, 
homelike  meeting-place  to  all  Anglo-Saxons.  She  and 
my  mother  liked  one  another  extremely. 

The  French  Embassy  was  in  a  class  by  itself.  Occupy- 
ing the  ancient  and  historic  palace  of  the  Lobkowitz 
family,  its  official  parties  were  always  well  done  and  gay, 


VIENNA  SILHOUETTES  95 

with  good  music  and  fine  silver  from  the  French  Govern- 
ment's garde-meuble.  Also  there  was  a  daughter  in  the 
house  who  dressed  smartly,  and,  known  as  the  possessor 
of  a  comfortable  dot,  she  was  sufficiently  surrounded  by 
the  youthful  diplomats,  especially  her  father's  various 
young  secretaries.  But  there  were  very  few  informal 
parties  at  the  French  Embassy.  Albert  Decrais,  Am- 
bassador, a  short,  thick-set  wine-merchant  of  Bordeaux, 
might  be  a  good  man  over  his  desk,  but  his  lack  of 
social  talents  prevented  him  from  taking  a  place  of  im- 
portance among  his  colleagues,  once  the  official  bow  and 
smile  were  accomplished.  His  wife  was  like  himself, 
and  remained  mainly  occupied  by  her  homesickness  for 
Bordeaux ! 

There  was  an  old  Turk,  too,  who  after  some  years  of 
ambassadorship  committed  suicide  one  day.  Every  one 
expressed  official  regrets  and  really  felt  rather  sorry  for 
his  two  sons,  nice  boys,  who  had  been  brought  up  in 
Europe  and  were  pleasant  members  of  ottr  small  dancing- 
class. 

Among  the  ministers  heading  legations,  old  Count 
Bray,  from  Bavaria,  eighty -four  and  an  admirable  shot 
as  well  as  a  cultivated,  charming  man  of  the  world,  had 
an  agreeable  position,  since  he  represented  the  Austrian 
Empress's  native  country.  Also  Mr.  de  Lovenom,  the 
Danish  Minister,  had  a  brilliant  wit  with  a  sharp  tongue, 
and  was  much  invited.  He  had  a  particularly  warm  wel- 
come in  the  agreeable  small  circle  of  which  the  Duke  and 
Duchess  of  Cimiberland  were  the  centre,  the  latter  being 
the  youngest  daughter  of  the  King  of  Denmark  and  sis- 
ter to  the  then  Empress  of  Russia  and  the  Princess  Alex- 
andra of  Wales.  Lovenom  was  therefore  received  at 
first  on  this  account  by  the  Russians  and  British,  too, 
and  afterward  by  his  own  accomplishments  and  conver- 


96  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

sational  talents  he  held  his  place.  He  and  my  father  be- 
came excellent  comrades,  and  when  later  I  found  him 
representing  his  coimtry  at  the  court  of  St.  Petersburg 
he  brought  up  pleasant  memories  of  the  days  when  so 
often  they  had  talked  and  smoked  or  played  whist  to- 
gether in  Vienna.  The  various  Belgians  were  agreeable 
and,  representing  the  father  of  the  widowed  Crown  Prin- 
cess Stephanie,  they  were  welcome  everywhere.  Other- 
wise the  diplomatic  corps  was  composed  of  more  or  less 
average  personalities,  who  made  a  neutral  background 
for  these  particular  stars  in  our  firmament. 

We  seemed  to  have  many  attractive  people  constantly 
at  our  house,  and  by  the  time  I  was  old  enough  to  be 
presented  at  court,  I  had  a  number  of  well-disposed 
friends  among  my  father's  and  mother's  colleagues  and 
among  the  jeunesse  doree  which  composed  the  groups  of 
secretaries.  I  also  had  a  lot  of  intimates  among  the 
young  Austrian  girls,  usually  so  shy  with  foreigners  that 
I  apparently  was  the  only  non- Austrian  in  their  midst; 
but  their  typical  ways  were  half  their  charm  to  me,  and 
their  simple  natures  and  manners  led  me  to  feel  at  ease. 

Those  early  years  in  Vienna  were  spent  very  quietly, 
though  the  legation  almost  always  contained  a  nimiber  of 
interesting  people  to  whom  I  was  allowed  to  listen,  when 
I  was  at  liberty.  But  for  three  winters  I  had  mainly  to 
study  and  was  rarely  in  company. 

We  were  a  great  deal  with  our  parents,  for  through  the 
spring  and  autumn  their  evenings  were  free,  except  when 
their  informal  dinners  to  travelling  compatriots  filled  the 
legation  salons.  During  the  height  of  the  winter  season 
we  usually  went  for  an  hour  or  two  with  them  in  the  late 
afternoon  to  skate.  My  parents  had  both  been  very 
good  at  this  sport  in  their  youth,  and  they  took  it  up 
again  with  much  enjoyment  as  a  change  from  office  work 


VIENNA  SILHOUETTES  97 

or  housekeeping  cares.  My  brother  and  I  were  both  learn- 
ing, though  I  never  managed  to  compare  with  my  elders. 
However,  I  liked  extremely  both  the  gay  crowd  on  the 
ice  and  the  exercise  in  the  cold  air. 

One  year  I  studied  dancing  with  some  little  girls  at 
the  palace  of  the  Hungarian  representative  to  the  Aus- 
trian court.  Hungary  imderscored  its  independence  of 
the  sister  empire  by  sending  this  representative  to  live 
in  state  in  Vienna.  The  palace  was  vast,  dark,  ancient, 
and  splendid.  The  representative  of  the  King  of  Hun- 
gary to  the  Austrian  Emperor  as  a  personage  was  equally 
magnificent.  Mr.  Sogueny,  whose  family  had  been  too 
proud  to  accept  a  title  from  any  modem  sovereign's 
hands,  made  just  claim,  I  was  told,  to  one  of  the  oldest 
and  greatest  names  in  Hungary.  Sogueny  was  agree- 
able and  distinguished  in  brain,  manner,  and  looks,  ap- 
parently also  possessing  the  fire  typical  of  his  race.  He 
impressed  me  very  much  with  his  swift  and  elegant 
movements,  his  swarthy  skin,  and  intense  blue-gray 
eyes,  and  though  his  black  hair  stood  up  straight  in  cul- 
tivated disorder  on  top  of  his  head,  giving  him  a  fero- 
cious look,  he  seemed  the  quintessence  of  perfection  in 
his  dress,  and  was  a  most  affectionate  and  gentle  father 
to  his  three  daughters,  Camilla,  Maria,  and  Lili,  who 
were  my  friends. 

A  year  later,  as  I  was  going  on  sixteen,  my  mother 
arranged  a  larger  class  of  boys  and  girls  of  the  diplo- 
matic corps,  to  dance  at  the  legation  on  Saturday  eve- 
nings. Young  Dutch,  Turks,  Russians,  English,  French, 
and  Spaniards  came  with  their  mothers  and  fathers  to 
these  early  parties,  and  by  degrees  a  number  of  secretaries 
and  attaches  won  their  way  into  being  included,  till  the 
group  grew  far  beyond  the  original  intention  of  the 
organizer.     However,  we  had  delightful  gatherings,  and 


98  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

they  helped  me  to  know  the  young  colleagues  who  would 
number  among  my  partners  when  I  was  old  enough  to 
make  my  bow  at  court. 

By  this  time  my  parents,  and  I  also,  were  feeling  very 
much  at  home  in  the  beautiful  Austrian  capital.  I  had 
learned  to  speak  German  almost  as  did  the  natives,  also 
I  liked  the  whole  atmosphere  of  our  life,  and  I  ne\er  had 
a  feeling  that  any  of  the  old  customs  were  disagreeably 
strange.  They  had  too  much  of  historic  interest  and 
artistic  value. 

Especially  two  great  ceremonies  which  occurred  yearly 
made  a  strong  impression  on  me.  I  grew  to  appreciate 
their  religious  meanings  as  well  as  their  grandeur.  One 
was  a  pageant  through  the  streets  of  the  old  capital,  and 
was  called  the  "  Corpus  Christi  Procession."  It  occurred 
a  few  days  before  or  after  Trinity  Sunday,  and  in  the  soft 
June  heat  the  ancient  city  looked  its  best.  At  a  certain 
point  on  the  route  in  one  of  the  squares,  where  the  archi- 
tecture of  the  facades  and  a  perfect  gem  of  a  fountain 
made  exactly  the  background  required,  a  stand  was 
erected  for  such  diplomats  and  foreigners  as  cared  to 
view  the  scene. 

Early  in  the  morning  we  took  our  seats  there  and  waited. 
Opposite  o\ir  stand  was  placed  a  small  temporary  chapel, 
very  handsome  with  its  canopy  of  crimson  velvet,  em- 
broidered and  fringed  in  gold  and  fitted  with  an  altar, 
with  the  flowers  and  vessels,  missals  and  crucifix  neces- 
sary to  a  service,  which  would  break  the  progress  of  the 
solemn  march.  Soon — for  all  fimctions  in  Vienna  were 
very  prompt — a  hush  fell  over  the  company  assembled  in 
the  square,  and  one  looked  about  at  this  picture  of  the 
Middle  Ages,  which  really  it  was  in  all  respects  save  our 
own  incongruous  clothes:  the  perfect  blue  against  which 
roof  lines  of  red  or  green  or  brown  tiles  silhouetted  them- 


VIENNA  SILHOUETTES  99 

selves  made  a  delightful  effect,  as  did  the  balconies  and 
windows  in  which  women  and  girls  in  bright  gowns  were 
seated,  the  gentle  mtirmur  of  the  fountain,  the  gay  vel- 
vet of  the  chapel,  and  our  own  red  stand,  together  with  a 
strip  of  carpet  in  the  same  rich  color  rolled  out  over  sand 
which  was  spread  to  soften  the  cobblestones  along  the 
route.  On  the  sand  and  over  the  carpet  were  scattered 
twigs  and  green  leaves,  symbolic  of  the  holiday  and  add- 
ing their  note  of  color. 

A  procession  approached  solemnly  through  the  sun- 
shine, and  it  was  quite  impossible  even  to  name  all  the 
participants  in  this  magnificent  throng,  more  mediaeval 
even  than  its  frame.  There  were  choir-boys  and  incense- 
bearers  in  scarlet  with  white  lace,  prelates  in  robes  of 
black  and  gold  and  purple,  bishops  and  archbishops  in 
full  regalia,  the  first  among  them  marching  in  state  under 
a  red-and-gold  canopy,  and  carrying  high  the  Host  on  a 
covered  tray,  so  all  might  see  and  cross  themselves  de- 
voutly as  the  Holy  of  Holies  passed  them  by.  There 
was  no  music  but  the  slow,  lovely  chant  of  the  young 
choristers.  With  dignity  the  lines  came  to  a  standstill 
in  front  of  the  wee  chapel,  where  a  short  service  was 
held;  then  the  march  was  resumed  and  went  on  through 
the  winding  streets,  till  it  ended  in  one  of  the  churches. 

As  the  procession  halted,  and  the  personages  in  it  took 
their  places,  it  was  to  be  seen  that  behind  the  prelates, 
following  the  canopy,  his  bared  head  bowed  in  the  hot 
sun,  walked  His  Majesty  the  Emperor.  None  was  a 
more  attentive  son  of  the  church  than  he,  and  his  simple 
sincerity  and  faith  were  evident  in  the  example  he  set 
the  archdukes  and  the  members  of  his  court.  He  was  in 
full  uniform  and  carried  a  great  candle  in  one  hand,  to- 
gether with  his  headgear.  With  his  other  hand  he  de- 
voutly made  the  sign  of  the  cross  at  proper  intervals. 


100  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

In  a  body  the  archdukes  were  a  fine-looking  group.  Old 
Charles  Louis,  the  Emperor's  brother,  looked  older  and 
less  vigorous  than  the  sovereign,  whose  junior  he  really 
was  by  several  years;  he  moved  slowly  and  without 
Francis  Joseph's  quick  compactness.  His  three  sons 
came  next  in  line.  Francis  Ferdinand,  the  new  heir  since 
Rudolf's  death,  was  tightly  buttoned  in  an  unbecoming 
uniform,  seemed  large  and  heavy,  with  sandy  hair  and 
mustache,  and  dull  eyes.  No  wonder  the  people  felt 
less  enthusiasm  for  him  than  for  his  brilliant  cousin,  who 
had  been  an  heir  after  their  own  hearts,  in  spite  of  all 
his  failings.  The  handsome  reprobate,  Otto,  came  next. 
His  conduct  was  the  town's  talk,  and  he  was  to  die  from 
dissipation.  In  this  group  was  a  third  brother,  an  over- 
grown youth  with  amiable  expression,  called  Ferdinand. 

Then  there  was  old  Archduke  Albert,  a  hero  of  sev- 
eral wars,  his  body  slightly  bent  by  age,  but  with  a  spirit 
which  still  carried  him  through  long  ceremonies.  He 
was  pointed  out  to  me  by  my  father  as  the  most  distin- 
guished in  reputation  of  the  imperial  family,  and  later  at 
court  I  met  him,  when  he  seemed  very  amiable  and  tol3 
me  how  he  had  known  my  grandfather  during  the  lat- 
ter's  visit  to  Austria.  He  had  white  hair,  closely  clipped, 
a  closely  clipped  white  beard  and  mustache  as  well;  he 
was  frailer  and  more  shrivelled  than  the  Emperor,  and 
his  eyes  behind  his  spectacles  looked  old  and  strained 
though  not  dull. 

Albert  was  rich  and  had  a  palace,  one  of  the  handsom- 
est in  Vienna,  which  stood  up  well  above  the  surrounding 
buildings  on  an  eminence,  and  there  he  and  the  charming 
old  Archduchess  Elisabeth,  mother  of  the  then  Queen 
Regent  of  Spain,  had  their  apartments.  Surrounded  by 
many  souvenirs  of  their  past,  this  old  fraternal  pair  led 
a  contented  life.     They  enjoyed  doing  good  to  their  peo- 


VIENNA  SILHOUETTES  lOi 

pie,  and  fulfilled  their  round  of  duties,  both  religious  and 
civic.  The  Emperor  was  fond  of  both  and  they  had  a 
unique  position  at  court,  whenever  they  chose  to  appear, 
which  was  very  rarely.  Generally  they  saw  a  variety  of 
people  within  the  walls  of  their  own  palace,  where  their 
dinners  brought  together  many  choice  spirits,  the  light 
repast  of  perfect  food  and  rare  vintages,  followed  by  fine 
music,  providing  an  excuse  for  meetings  well  worth  while. 
There  were  several  more  male  members  of  the  Haps- 
burg  family  in  the  procession  of  the  Corpus  Christi  feast- 
day,  but  only  one  other  person  attracted  notice — that 
was  the  Archduke  Eugene.  He  was  admittedly  the  most 
picturesque  person  at  the  Austrian  court,  towering  by 
nearly  a  head  in  height  above  the  tall  men  of  the  aristoc- 
racy, and  bearing  his  well-proportioned  figure  finely.  His 
beauty  was,  however,  even  more  a  matter  of  expression 
and  high  breeding  than  of  feature.  The  color  of  his  eyes 
or  the  shape  of  his  nose  was  of  no  consequence,  but  one 
kept  the  remembrance  of  his  ability  to  represent  a  thou- 
sand years  or  more  of  imperial  traditions,  and  in  spite  of 
comparative  youth  his  dignity  was  as  great  as  his  sim- 
plicity. To  meet  him  was  the  ambition  of  almost  all  the 
women,  but  when  the  introduction  was  over  and  a  few 
poHte  sentences  had  been  exchanged,  the  incident  was 
closed  once  and  for  all.  Eugene*s  occupations  were  of  a 
serious  nature,  and  he  gave  himself  up  to  them  com- 
pletely. He  had  joined  the  Order  of  St.  John,  and  I 
never  saw  him  appear  at  any  but  religious  or  state  cere- 
monies— and  then  in  the  full  robes  of  his  order.  The 
sweeping  plumed  hat  of  Rubens*s  time,  made  in  black, 
became  his  small  head,  with  its  short  cropped  curls, 
while  his  long  white  cloth  cape  with  its  black  Maltese 
cross  over  the  heart,  together  with  the  boots,  gauntlets, 
and  other  garments  of  the  same  period,   seemed  most 


102  MY  LIFE.  HERE  AND  THERE 

effective.  This  costume  stood  out  in  the  mass  of  bright 
colors  at  court,  yet  all  theatrical  effect  was  counteracted 
by  the  earnestness  of  eyes  and  unconsciousness  of  car- 
riage. Those  belonged  to  some  knight  of  the  Round 
Table,  and  held  even  strangers  in  respect. 

I  do  not  remember  seeing  the  Archduke  Eugene  at  a 
coiut  ball.  He  never  danced,  and  at  these  functions  my 
interest  was  centred  completely  in  the  young  officers  or 
diplomats  who  best  understood  Strauss's  rhythm;  but  in 
the  ** Corpus  Christi  Procession"  the  religious  uniform  of 
St.  John's  and  its  wearer  caught  and  held  one's  atten- 
tion. It  was  so  at  the  "  Foot- Washing  Ceremony,"  too, 
where  somehow  he  seemed  to  be  the  central  figure  in  a 
group  of  picked  men. 

This  quaint  ceremony,  with  its  lovely  tradition  of  the 
humility  of  power  and  riches  toward  poverty,  occurred 
for  many  centuries  in  the  beautiful  frame  of  the  old 
Hofburg  palace  quite  regularly  Thursday  morning  in 
Holy  Week.  A  small  gallery  was  erected  for  the  diplo- 
matic corps,  whose  members  came  at  an  early  hour,  the 
men  in  uniform,  the  women  all  in  black.  The  great 
room,  softly  lighted,  was  very  impressive.  Finely  pro- 
portioned, decorated  as  in  old  days  only  it  could  be  done, 
when  real  artists  made  a  life-work  of  such  ornamentation, 
its  carvings  and  gilt,  touched  lovingly  by  time,  made  the 
background  seem  worthy  of  the  ceremony  which  soon 
was  to  take  place  there.  In  front  of  our  gallery  stood  a 
raised  dais,  knee-high,  and  on  this  twelve  seats  with  a 
long  table  just  found  room.  Only  a  few  chamberlains 
were  about.  They  made  us  welcome  and  showed  us  to 
our  places,  then  resumed  their  whispering  among  them- 
selves. 

In  the  distance  we  heard  vague  chants  from  the  im- 
perial chapel,   where  mass  was  being  celebrated.     The 


VIENNA  SILHOUETTES  103 

service  finished,  voices  approached  us  from  a  distance 
through  the  halls.  Then,  as  usual,  handsome  Count 
Hunyady,  grand  marshal  of  the  court,  appeared  and 
stood  in  an  imposing  position  before  the  double  door  at 
the  extreme  end  of  the  room  exactly  opposite  to  us.  From 
a  side  entrance  a  strange  group  appeared:  twelve  old 
men — the  "oldest  and  poorest  beggars"  in  Vienna — ^were 
brought  in.  They  were  white-haired  and  childish  of  face, 
and  looked  just  right  in  the  costimies  they  wore,  cut  on 
long,  straight  lines  in  some  dark,  soft  material.  Quaint 
capes  covered  their  shoulders,  and  broad-brimmed  soft 
hats  were  on  their  heads.  Linen  collars,  startlingly 
white,  were  ttmied  down  about  their  necks. 

I  am  sure  Rubens  or  Vandyke  must  have  designed 
those  clothes  for  the  beggars  of  a  Holy  Roman  Emperor ! 
As  they  were  helped  up  the  two  or  three  steps  of  their 
platform  and  seated  themselves  painfully,  it  was  easy  to 
see  the  old  fellows  were  pleased  with  their  finery.  They 
smoothed  it  or  the  table-cloth  with  satisfied  looks,  and 
nodded  and  signed  to  one  another.  They  probably  were 
all  over  eighty  and  some  looked  much  more.  Finally 
they  gazed  in  silent  admiration  at  the  room,  which 
doubtless  to  them  was  the  realization  of  a  fairy-tale  oft 
told,  and  they  leaned  back  in  their  seats,  then  finally 
concentrated  their  attention  on  the  door  dominated  by 
Count  Hunyady's  person. 

Indeed,  the  old  coimt  was  well  worth  looking  at.  He 
was  a  very  gay  gentleman  in  his  off  hours,  'twas  whis^ 
pered,  well  known  for  his  successes  and  his  escapades. 
Though  he  still  kept  his  beautiful  figure — shown  now  to 
full  advantage  in  his  tight  Hungarian  uniform  of  scarlet 
and  gold  and  white,  with  the  sable- trimmed  dolman 
hanging  from  his  shoulders — the  early  good  looks  of  his 
face  were  somewhat  dimmed  by  years.     White  curling 


104  MY  LIFE.  HERE  AND  THERE 

hair  gathered  thick  enough  to  show  the  care  given  it,  and 
admirable  features  were  a  marked  advantage  in  spite  of 
wrinkles  in  the  olive  skin.  His  expression  was  one  of 
acute  boredom,  which  occasionally  lighted  up  to  a  smile 
at  some  witticism  or  became  quite  winning  if  an  attrac- 
tive woman  turned  her  glance  on  him.  Habitually  at 
court  functions  he  floated  through  his  round  of  duties 
with  a  perfect  knowledge  which  translated  itself  into 
negligent  elegance.  Htmyady  was  much  admired  by 
certain  ladies  at  court,  who  watched  his  every  motion, 
while  others  had  a  way  of  speaking  of  him  with  a  show 
of  disapproval.  I  think  the  Emperor  thought  him  excel- 
lent in  his  r61e,  and  knew  he  was  entirely  reliable  in 
handling  the  most  complicated  ceremonies.  His  Maj- 
esty occasionally  glanced  at  the  brilliant  functionary 
with  amused  amiability,  as  he  might  at  a  pretty  woman's 
play  of  vanity.  The  two  men  were  old  comrades,  and, 
to  do  the  count  justice,  I  heard  he  was  as  good  with  horse 
and  gun  as  he  was  perfect  at  the  court. 

As  sounds  of  the  chant  approached,  Hunyady's  face 
kept  its  mask  of  indifference,  but  he  glanced  about  the 
room  with  a  quick  eye  guaranteed  to  take  in  any  detail 
which  might  be  wrong.  Then  he  shrugged  his  shoulders, 
shaking  his  becoming  dolman,  and  straightening  up  to 
his  full  height  he  struck  the  floor  sharply  three  times 
with  a  long  cane  which  was  the  badge  of  his  office.  Every 
one  instantly  turned  toward  the  door  and  gave  the  grand 
marshal  complete  attention.  Affecting  still  his  expression 
of  calm,  Hunyady  again  struck  the  floor  three  times,  and 
as  he  did  so  the  two  doors  swung  open  slowly  behind 
him,  disclosing  the  room  beyond.  Half-way  across  what 
seemed  an  immense  stretch  of  polished  inlaid  floor  ad- 
vanced the  Emperor  at  the  head  of  his  court.  Hunyady 
moved  then  with  continued  comprehension  of  his  r61e, 


VIENNA  SILHOUETTES  105 

clearing  the  way  for  the  sovereign  to  the  centre  of  our 
hall.  Right  opposite  the  semicircle  of  old  men  he  stopped, 
ttimed  and  bowed  low  and  gracefully  to  His  Majesty, 
who  was  crossing  the  threshold  of  the  doorway  where 
a  moment  ago  the  grand  marshal  had  stood. 

As  the  Emperor  entered  every  one  rose,  bowing  or 
curtseying  to  His  Majesty.  The  latter  returned  the  salu- 
tations, looking  to  left  and  right  with  his  usual  gentle 
expression,  and  then  he  advanced  to  the  point  indicated 
by  the  grand  marshal.  Himyady,  straightening  again, 
moved  aside  to  give  various  further  directions,  if  neces- 
sary, but  all  the  actors  were  so  used  to  their  parts  that 
no  coaching  was  required.  Passing  his  plumed  headgear 
and  gloves  to  the  person  indicated  for  that  service, 
Francis  Joseph,  in  all  simplicity,  stepped  up  to  the  beg- 
gars' table,  and  immediately  twelve  of  the  royal  Hun- 
garian body-guard  appeared,  each  carrying  a  tray  heavily 
laden  with  a  meal  prepared  and  served,  ready  to  be 
heated.  These  trays  the  guardsmen  held  at  a  distance 
of  about  two  feet  from  the  table's  edge,  while  the  Em- 
peror, passing  down  this  open  passage,  transferred  all  the 
dishes,  from  the  first  to  the  latter,  so  that  the  dinner  of 
each  guest  was  placed  before  him  by  his  imperial  host. 
Naturally  the  old  men  needed  time  and  help  to  eat,  so 
the  food  was  not  eaten  there.  I  was  afraid  they  were 
losing  their  dinners,  but  I  was  told  not,  and  that  the 
trays,  dishes,  and  food  would  be  snugly  packed  in  twelve 
baskets  and  put  into  the  twelve  court  carriages  which, 
after  the  ceremony,  would  convey  the  quaint  members 
of  the  feast  to  their  several  homes.  Also  I  heard  that 
enough  food  was  given  to  each  to  feed  a  family  party  of 
six  people  for  supper  that  evening. 

The  splendid  Hungarians  gathered  up  and  bore  off  all 
their  trays  of  food,  then  instantly  another  row  of  huge 


106  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

men  in  court  livery  stepped  forward,  to  carry  away  the 
whole  of  the  semicircular  table  in  one  movement.  With- 
out a  hitch  they  picked  it  up  in  sections,  one  from  in 
front  of  each  old  man.  The  Emperor  came  forward 
again,  and  three  members  of  the  court  fell  in  line  near 
him»  one  carrying  a  basin,  another  a  tall  jug  (both  of 
which  may  have  been  ordered  by  Maximilian  from  some 
Renaissance  artist,  to  judge  by  their  lovely  workman- 
ship), while  the  third  official  carried  a  beautiful  towel. 
Two  pages  or  chamberlains  preceded  the  Emperor  and 
rapidly  removed  one  shoe  and  sock  from  each  old  man. 
Then  the  sovereign  passed  slowly  down  the  line,  and 
each  naked  foot  in  turn  was  held  over  the  basin  while 
the  ewer-carrier  poured  on  water  and  Francis  Joseph 
splashed  and  rubbed  a  little,  afterward  taking  ^he  towel 
to  wipe  the  foot  dry. 

He  did  this  whole  job  with  his  usual  earnest  good-will, 
much  more  carefully  than  those  who  were  helping  would 
have  done  it,  for  they  looked  decidedly  bored  as  they 
moved  from  one  to  another  of  the  mendicants,  while  His 
Majesty  never  lost  interest  for  a  moment,  and  seemed 
to  finish  the  drying  thoroughly.  Following  Francis 
Joseph  came  two  more  officials,  who  put  on  all  the  foot- 
gear and  fastened  it,  the  old  men  still  keeping  their  seats. 

All  this  had  taken  some  time,  but  as  a  finale  to  the 
feast  the  Emperor  passed  down  the  whole  row  once  more. 
One  of  the  Hungarian  guardsmen  carried  on  a  tray 
twelve  small  but  heavy  bags,  which  we  were  told  con- 
tained gold  pieces.  Each  hung  like  a  locket  on  a  long 
ribbon  or  string,  and  to  one  after  another  of  the  guests  of 
honor  Francis  Joseph  spoke  in  a  kindly  tone,  as  he  put  in 
each  case  a  ribbon  over  the  head.  The  impression  of  his 
sunny  smile  was  the  last  to  light  the  memories  of  this 
day  of  days  for  the  pensioners. 


VIENNA  SILHOUETTES  107 

No  Christian  could  have  been  more  sincere  in  the  per- 
formance of  a  religious  duty,  and  as  one  watched  him  in 
the  midst  of  his  power  humbling  himself  to  wash  the  feet 
of  his  poorest  and  oldest  subjects,  one  realized  fully  why 
it  was  that  outside  the  palace  his  people  loved  Francis 
Joseph. 

While  the  long  and  complicated  function  lasted,  arch-' 
dukes  and  members  of  the  court  stood  about  in  imiforms 
of  red  and  blue  and  green  with  gold  or  silver  trimming 
glistening  as  it  caught  the  light — a  perfect  riot  of  color, 
in  which  Eugene's  white-and-black  figiu*e  stood  near  a 
column,  immobile  as  a  statue. 

I  was  told  these  functions  had  lost  much  of  their  effect 
by  the  absence  of  the  empress  and  her  following  of 
women.  This  might  be,  for  certainly  the  balls  where 
the  women  took  a  part  were  very  fine;  but  the  Corpus 
Christi  Procession  and  the  Foot- Washing  Ceremony  as 
pictures  seemed  to  me  complete ;  and  the  life  and  color  of 
these  scenes  burned  themselves  into  my  memory,  as  well 
as  the  religious  spirit  of  the  Emperor  and  the  example  he 
set  his  subjects. 

A  uniform  almost  barbaric  in  its  splendor  was  that 
worn  by  the  Hungarian  guards — scarlet  it  was,  with  gold 
embroideries  and  trappings.  The  boots,  knee-high,  of 
pale-yellow  leather,  were  skilfully  embroidered  around 
their  tops,  and  to  finish  off  this  magnificence  a  leopard's 
skin  was  fastened  over  one  arm  and  under  the  other, 
with  a  huge  buckle  on  the  chest  which  seemed  to  suggest 
the  workmanship  of  Oriental  hands.  The  men,  both  in 
this  regiment  and  that  of  the  Austrian  imperial  guards 
(who  were  scarcely  less  handsome,  though  more  modern 
as  to  uniform) ,  were  all  picked  for  size  and  looks,  I  think. 
They  were  young  and  measured  over  six  feet.  At  that 
time  I  had  seen  nothing  more  grand  than  they  were  when 


108  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

they  appeared  on  duty,  whether  to  line  up  round  the 
walls  of  the  old  ballrooms  or  to  fetch  and  carry  for  their 
sovereign  when  he  was  serving  twelve  beggars. 

In  the  year  before  I  went  to  court  I  had  another  very 
interesting  experience,  which  was  a  visit  I  made  with  my 
parents  to  the  castle  of  Prince  and  Princess  Alfred  Liech- 
tenstein. A  long  time  back  the  Liechtensteins  had 
asked  us,  and  I  was  included  in  the  invitation  in  spite  of 
my  youth,  because  the  host  and  hostess  had  a  daughter 
who  was  also  to  make  her  d6but  during  the  following 
season.  I  had  already  met  her  and  her  older  sister  and 
liked  both  of  them  extremely. 

Prince  Alfred  Liechtenstein  was  head  of  the  younger 
branch  of  his  house,  but  his  first  cousin,  the  reigning 
Prince  of  Liechtenstein,  had  neither  son  nor  brother,  so 
Alfred  and  his  eldest  bom  were  heirs  to  the  principality. 
Incidentally,  he  had  four  other  sons  and  two  daughters 
— Fanny,  who  was  a  most  cultivated  person,  and  Therese, 
who  promised  to  be  a  beauty,  as  her  mother  was.  Even 
years  and  flesh  had  not  spoiled  the  classic  face  and  the 
fair  skin  of  Princess  Liechtenstein,  while  the  serenity  of 
her  expression  bore  witness  to  the  sheltered,  happy  life 
she  led.  She  and  her  husband,  who  openly  adored  her 
and  who  was  her  first  cousin — ^for  she  was  a  sister  of  the 
reigning  prince — ^had  divided  their  lives  between  the 
family  principality  where  she  was  reared,  the  gay  Aus- 
trian capital,  where  they  used  the  second-best  palace  of 
her  brother,  and  old  HoUenegg  Castle,  which  was  built 
by  their  ancestors  some  time  in  the  tenth  century.  In  a 
gentle  way  they  took  immense  pride  in  HoUenegg's  beauty 
and  historic  value,  as  in  the  traditions  of  great  deeds 
done  and  positions  well  filled  by  many  Liechtensteins 
since  the  beginning  of  the  Austrian  Empire.  Hollenegg, 
with  its  courtyard  of  stone  and  beautiful  wrought-iron 


VIENNA  SILHOUETTES  109 

well,  with  the  colonnaded  galleries  one  floor  above 
another,  with  its  ancient  chapel  built  within  the  court, 
was  full  of  poetic  sentiment  to  the  owners  of  the  place. 
Outside  it  had  been  originally  the  most  forbidding  of 
fortresses,  with  several  towers,  that  still  stood  grimly 
above  the  main  walls,  their  narrow  windows  scarce  allow- 
ing light  to  enter  such  rooms  as  were  at  all  habitable. 
A  fine  moat,  deep  and  wide,  had  once  surrounded  the 
vast  pile,  and  this  was  in  part  left  in  its  old  proportions 
for  its  decorative  quality,  while  in  other  spots  it  was 
filled  in  to  allow  the  lawns  to  run  up  to  the  bastions. 

The  rough  stone's  severity  was  now  draped  in  the 
richest  of  flowering  rose-vines,  white  and  pink,  which 
decked  the  old  walls  with  wreaths  worthy  of  their  vic- 
torious traditions.  Trees  had  had  time  to  grow  up  to 
large  proportions,  and  spread  out  on  the  lawn,  where  a 
tea-table  near  a  bowling-green  made  a  tempting,  home- 
like note.  In  the  courtyard  peacocks  trailed  or  spread 
their  tails,  and  within  this  square,  with  its  grass  and 
gardens,  the  roses  also  cHmbed  over  all  balustrades  and 
balconies.  The  courtyard  architecture  was  varied  in 
epoch,  as  generation  after  generation  had  improved  the 
place  or  built  new  features  in  the  style  of  their  own 
times.  One  long  gallery  was  colonnaded  in  a  way  recall- 
ing northern  Italy,  and  probably  was  the  result  of  the 
proprietor's  visit  to  Sforza  villas.  Elsewhere  a  sugges- 
tion of  the  architecture  of  Byzantium  made  one  ask  if  a 
crusader  or  some  traveller  of  the  family  had  been  there. 
There  were  various  pointed  arches  or  doorways,  too, 
taken  from  Gothic  models,  with  graceful  light  decora- 
tions. The  mellow  light  and  the  uniform  material  of 
pale  stone  lent  themselves  to  a  general  effect  of  rich  har- 
mony, and  the  gentle  touch  of  seasons  which  had  passed, 
covered  faulty  seams  with  vines. 


110  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

The  inside  of  the  castle  was  equally  interesting,  for 
who  could  resist  its  legends  or  the  state  apartments'  dig- 
nity and  the  dark  mystery  of  the  rooms  of  older  date? 
Walls  of  stone,  of  silk  embroidery,  of  marble  or  of  chintz 
made  the  castle  a  series  of  surprising  contrasts  as  one 
walked  through.  There  was  a  dungeon  with  a  secret 
passage  from  its  gloomy  depths  up  into  the  guard-room 
in  the  tower.  Still  farther  up  in  this  same  part  Prince 
Alfred  slept,  in  a  room  which  by  its  furnishings  recalled 
robber-baron  days.  The  prince  said  he  liked  to  sleep 
among  the  ghosts  of  struggling  times,  and  to  look  at 
him,  with  his  six  feet  two  and  more  of  fine  manhood, 
kept  fit  with  exercise,  and  at  the  eagle  nose  and  the 
proud  head,  one  could  not  but  admit  his  nobility  of  type 
fitted  well  into  this  frame  of  his  rugged  ancestors. 

Meals  at  Hollenegg  Castle  were  rather  informal  as  to 
the  family's  attitude  toward  them,  but  with  a  service 
which  was  perfection  and  table  and  liveries  keeping  up 
great  state.  Huge  and  very  magnificent  pieces  of  silver 
stood  about  on  sideboards  or  were  arranged  to  decorate 
the  table.  The  knives  and  forks  were  heavy  and  of 
ancient  models,  as  were  the  glass  and  china.  There  were 
flowers  and  fruits  in  great  profusion,  splendid  in  variety 
and  beauty — a  pride  with  the  prince,  for  all  were  pro- 
duced on  the  estate.  The  menu  was  long,  complicated, 
and  excellent,  but  we  sat  a  minimum  time  at  table,  be- 
cause of  the  nimiber  of  servants. 

A  head  butler  stood  in  one  place  and  directed  the  pro- 
ceedings by  a  glance  or  gesture,  watching  for  the  earliest 
moment  when  plates  might  be  changed;  and  at  one  meal 
I  took  time  to  count  sixteen  men  in  livery  under  him. 
One  had  to  live  in  feudal  style  to  keep  an  army  of  retain- 
ers trained  from  generation  to  generation  in  that  man- 
ner.    Not  to  step  on  one  another,  they  must  have  space. 


VIENNA  SILHOUETTES  111 

This  they  certainly  had,  for  the  great  banquet-hall  at 
Hollenegg  Castle,  with  its  marbles  and  stuccoes,  and  soft 
lights,  looked  sixty  by  seventy  feet  or  more.  The  table, 
with  monumental  silver,  with  eighteen  people  seated  and 
sixteen  more  waiting  on  us,  made  a  mere  island  on  the 
floor's  centre. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  enimierate  the  rooms  through 
which  one  passed  in  going  to  meals  from  the  well-lighted 
library,  in  which  we  gathered.  Huge,  dim  halls,  lighted 
by  vague  lamps  or  candles,  only  suggested  their  perfect 
proportions.  In  one  I  saw  panels  of  beautiful  Renais- 
sance carving,  while  another  had  some  quite  lovely  jade- 
green  flowered  silk  covering  its  walls.  At  our  exclama- 
tion of  delight  in  this  color  scheme,  the  old  prince  looked 
pleased  and  said:  **Yes,  it  is  pretty.  I  am  glad  you  like 
it.  But  it  is  very  old — my  ancestor  received  the  silk  as 
a  gift  when  he  went  on  a  special  mission  to  Louis  XIV, 
and  it  has  htmg  here  since  his  return." 

Scattered  about  on  tables  and  in  glass  cabinets  were 
family  souvenirs  brought  back  from  foreign  countries  by 
many  Liechtensteins  from  crusader  days  down.  It 
would  take  a  voltmie  to  describe  them  all.  Things  seem 
to  me  more  attractive  for  living  with  them,  and  not 
merely  walking  past  them  in  a  museum — so  I  enjoyed 
these  treasures  vastly. 

It  was  with  real  regret  I  left  Hollenegg  Castle,  and  I 
had  no  words  to  express  to  our  host  and  hostess  my  de- 
light in  the  visit.  At  their  recommendation  we  stopped 
in  Gratz  on  our  way  back  to  Vienna.  Besides  being  a 
quaint  city  with  old  facades  and  squares  well  worth  a 
passing  look,  it  offered  to  our  interested  explorations  the 
large  ruins  of  its  old  walls  and  castle  dating  back  to 
feudal  times  and  famous  for  their  extent  and  historic 
value. 


CHAPTER  V 

MY  DfiBUT  AT  COURT 

After  Hollenegg  our  Vienna  apartment  seemed 
/"%  frightfully  new  for  a  time,  till  we  became  accus- 
tomed again  to  things  made  within  our  century 
which  were  meant  to  fit  themselves  into  our  quite  mod- 
em lives.  Naturally  we  soon  settled  back  into  our  own 
ways,  and  finally  we  thought  of  the  days  at  the  castle 
as  of  a  tale  of  old  chivalry;  now,  alas,  completely  swept 
away  by  war  and  revolution. 

There  was  much  simplicity  among  the  Austrians  as 
well  as  grandeur,  and  many  of  the  aristocrats  went  for 
some  part  of  the  year  to  tiny  shooting-lodges  or  cottages, 
where  they  would  live  in  rough  clothes,  looked  after  by  a 
maid,  a  cook,  and  a  huntsman  or  two.  They  seemed  al- 
ways to  look  and  feel  at  home,  and  in  this  to  me  was  the 
height  of  their  civilization  and  distinction.  Even  the 
Emperor  took  himself  off  from  his  finery  at  Schonbrunn 
to  a  small  villa  he  owned  at  Ischl.  There  he  spent  his 
time  dressed  in  homespun,  walking  in  moimtain  paths 
with  his  daughters  and  their  children,  who  came  to  visit 
him,  or  talking  with  the  peasant,  the  woodsman,  or  the 
traveller  whom  he  chanced  to  pass  seated  by  the  road- 
side. The  Emperor  was  on  excellent  terms  with  all 
these  his  people,  and  many  were  the  stories  of  what  he 
had  said  or  done  at  Ischl  among  these  humble  subjects. 
One  could  not  hear  so  much  of  the  sovereign  without 
affectionate  interest  springing  up  in  one's  heart,  and  I 
looked  forward  to  being  presented  to  the  fine  old  man. 
Whenever  I  could  I  went  where  he  was  to  be  seen. 

So  it  chanced  that  I  caught  a  first  and  only  glimpse  of 

112 


MY  DfiBUT  AT  COURT  113 

the  German  Emperor,  too,  when  the  latter  came  to  visit 
his  ally,  Francis  Joseph,  and  was  received  with  the  hon- 
ors due  his  rank.  From  the  train  to  the  Hofburg  the 
court  carriages  drove  with  impressive  array  of  archdukes, 
ministers,  courtiers,  and  aides-de-camp.  Francis  Joseph 
sat  with  the  visiting  Emperor  in  a  large  victoria,  in  which 
he  did  not  look  so  much  at  home  as  in  his  own  usual 
small  carriage.  He  was  dressed  in  a  German  uniform 
and  he  seemed  unnatural  to  me;  but  William  II  was 
thoroughly  enjoying  his  position,  and  I  think  he  liked 
the  gay  Austrian  uniform  he  wore. 

The  people  on  the  street  applauded  and  cheered — not 
so  much  as  they  usually  did  their  own  Emperor,  but 
enough  to  show  good  breeding  and  hospitality^  toward 
their  sovereign's  guest — and  William,  sitting  very 
straight,  saluted  to  left  and  right,  while  his  old  host  sat 
back  and  watched  the  people  with  his  tolerant  smile. 
Now  and  then,  when  he  picked  out  a  familiar  face  in 
the  crowd,  he  directed  toward  it  a  friendly  glance,  accom- 
panied as  always  by  a  quick  smile.  William  II  looked 
pretentious,  still,  and  imhealthy.  His  drawn  white  face 
seemed  most  unattractive,  and  I  understood  fully  the 
Austrians'  feelings  when  they  thought  him^  an  unsympa- 
thetic ally.  Never  at  any  point  did  his  affected  pose 
relax  or  did  he  have  a  smile  to  accompany  his  salutes. 
The  rumors  from  court  said  he  had  not  made  a  favorable 
impression  there  either;  in  fact,  casual  remarks  led  one 
to  feel  that  he  had  played  his  role  wrongly  and  had  not 
acted  in  a  sincere  manner,  so  that  his  departure  was 
hailed  with  satisfaction  by  both  the  city  and  the  palace. 

I  was  only  a  little  over  sixteen  when  Mr.  Cleveland 
was  elected  President,  in  November,  1892.  Soon  after 
this  he  honored  my  father  with  a  charming  personal  let- 
ter telling  the  young  American  Minister  of  the  pleasure 


114  MY  LIFE.  HERE  AND  THERE 

he  had  in  learning  of  his  fine  work  during  the  past  four 
years  to  cement  good  relations  between  Austria  and  our 
country,  and  saying  he  would  be  glad  if  my  father  would 
remain  on  at  his  post  under  his  own  Democratic  ad- 
ministration. My  father  was  greatly  flattered  by  Mr. 
Cleveland's  offer,  and  wrote  at  once  to  express  his  appre- 
ciation of  the  praise  of  the  future  President,  but  he  de- 
clined the  honor  of  continuing  as  Minister  at  Vienna, 
since  he  felt  the  position  should  go  to  a  representative 
of  the  President's  party.  He  told  Mr.  Cleveland,  how- 
ever, he  would  be  only  too  glad  to  remain  on  until  such 
time  as  the  latter  selected  his  successor,  so  that  the  new 
man  would  have  no  difficulties  at  the  debut. 

It  meant  that  we  should  be  in  Vienna  until  the  late 
spring,  and  my  parents  decided  (as  possibly  this  would 
be  my  one  and  only  opportunity  to  see  a  court),  in  spite 
of  my  extreme  youth  I  should  go  into  society,  or  at  least 
to  the  great  court  ball,  where  a  * 'circle"  reception  of  the 
diplomats  was  held,  and  where  I  would  consequently 
have  an  occasion  to  be  presented  to  the  sovereign. 

Since  Rudolf's  death  there  had  been  no  dancing  at 
court,  but  this  year  the  Emperor's  two  granddaughters, 
aged  about  sixteen,  were  to  come  to  Vienna  for  part  of 
the  season.  The  old  sovereign  was  anxious  to  give  them 
a  good  time,  delighting  in  the  pleasure  he  could  furnish, 
and  to  have  their  simny  presence  and  that  of  his  daugh- 
ter. Princess  Gisela,  of  Bavaria,  near  him.  He  had 
borne  the  loss  of  his  son  so  bravely  that  he  had  won 
every  sympathy.  He  was  alone,  for  the  empress  was 
still  buried  in  her  melancholy,  and  either  travelled  or 
stayed  hidden  in  one  of  her  distant  chateaux  in  Hungary. 
She  loved  these  better  than  any  in  Austria.  The  Aus- 
trians  spoke  of  their  empress  in  a  different  tone  from  the 
one  they  used  for  Francis  Joseph,  and  it  was  whispered 


MY  DfiBUT  AT  COURT  115 

about  by  the  people  that  she  was  mad.  If  you  asked  how 
they  knew,  they  would  suggest  she  was  a  Wittelsbach, 
and  these  were  all  mad — and  "See  how  she  travels"  was 
added  by  way  of  proof  positive.  She,  on  the  other  hand, 
it  seems,  said  the  Hungarians  tmderstood  her,  and  that 
she  must  keep  away  yet  for  a  time  from  the  gay  fimc- 
tions  which  were  considered  pairt  of  her  duties  as  empress 
of  the  dual  monarchy. 

Late  one  winter  while  we  were  in  Vienna,  the  empress 
had  once  returned  to  the  capital,  and  a  state  dinner  or 
two  had  been  given  for  the  heads  of  foreign  missions 
where  ladies  were  "commanded"  to  attend  with  their 
husbands,  since  Her  Majesty  would  preside  with  the 
Emperor.  My  parents  were  at  one  of  these  feasts,  which, 
by  the  way,  occurred  at  five  in  the  afternoon.  The  meal 
itself  was  as  short  in  service  as  possible.  This  was  usual, 
and  many  of  the  guests  at  court  dinners  complained,  that 
as  a  lackey  stood  behind  each  place  and  removed  the 
plates  as  quickly  as  the  sovereign  finished  with  each 
course,  and  as  Francis  Joseph  was  the  most  abstemious 
of  men  and  was  served  first,  they  had  the  feeling  their 
food  was  merely  passed  before  them  on  a  plate,  which  the 
arbitrary  footman  put  in  from  the  left  and  withdrew  at 
once  from  the  right  side. 

This  evening,  with  the  empress  present  and  the  ladies 
of  her  court,  it  was  a  longer  party.  She  ate  more  slowly, 
and  talked  more  to  her  neighbors,  and  then  after  dinner 
she  went  down  the  line  of  foreign  ambassadors  and  min- 
isters, always  making  a  few  amiable  remarks  and  enter- 
ing with  some  into  lengthy  conversation. 

Reaching  my  father,  she  said  to  him  in  admirable 
English  as  he  bent  to  kiss  her  hand:  "The  Emperor  has 
told  me  a  great  deal  about  you  and  about  your  wonderful 
shooting,  Colonel  Grant,  and  I  have  spent  much  time  of 


116  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

late  years  reading  of  your  country  with  its  marvellous 
scenery  and  people.  I  have  long  wanted  to  go  there, 
and  I  have  a  trip  all  planned.  You  must  help  me  per- 
suade the  Emperor  to  allow  me  to  take  the  journey  and 
see  all  I  have  read  about." 

At  my  father's  question  as  to  what  she  had  read  she 
plunged  into  a  discussion  of  the  books,  naming  nearly  all 
the  good  authors  of  typical  American  tales — Cooper,  Ir- 
ving, and  so  on.  Then  she  went  on  to  tell  that  she  had 
read  also  my  grandfather's  Memoirs^  which  she  praised, 
repeating  how  much  interest  and  pleasure  she  took  in 
America,  its  ideal  development  and  great  men.  Finally 
she  mentioned  some  of  her  past  travels  and  spoke  of  her 
love  for  the  change  these  gave  her,  especially  of  the 
charming  palace  of  Achilleion,  on  the  island  of  Corfu, 
which  she  owned  and  wanted  to  sell  now,  because  she 
was  too  old  to  go  and  live  there.  And  would  my  father, 
if  he  had  occasion  among  his  compatriots,  speak  of  this 
fact?  She  would  like  to  sell  the  place  to  an  American, 
and  would  send  an  albimi  of  photos  of  it  to  my  father. 
She  seemed  much  younger  than  her  age  in  her  enthusi- 
asm, and  the  dialogue  was  of  unusual  duration. 

All  the  guests  were  greatly  delighted  with  the  variety 
and  animation  of  her  conversation,  and  quite  completely 
under  the  spell  of  her  beauty,  though  she  was  approach- 
ing sixty  at  that  time.  Not  a  gray  hair  was  visible  in 
the  piles  of  braids  and  ctu-ls  famous  in  all  Euroj^e,  and 
the  limiinous  dark  eyes  had  kept  their  fire  in  spite  of 
many  tears.  Her  features  were  admittedly  perfect,  and 
her  figure,  tall,  still  slim  and  willowy,  was  handled  with 
perfect  ease  and  unconscious  pride.  Her  robes  were  of 
long,  sweeping,  unrelieved  black,  made  not  in  the  mo- 
mentary fashion  but  on  lines  of  special  grace,  and  her 
gentle  way  of  talking  and  apparent  pleasure  in  it  won 


MY  DEBUT  AT  COURT  117 

every  one  completely.  She  had  lingered  over  the  long 
row  of  gentlemen,  while  the  Emperor  had  finished  the 
whole  number  of  their  guests,  and  then  she  smilingly  said 
she  had  forgotten  time  and  must  hurry.  Down  the  line 
of  ladies  she  passed,  with  but  a  pleasant  word  or  an  in- 
terested question  to  each.  At  the  door  she  turned  to 
give  the  assembled  company  a  sweeping  look  and  bow. 
Apparently  each  individual  felt  it  to  be  for  him,  and 
afterward  from  their  conversation  about  her  it  was  easy 
to  see  she  had  captivated  all  the  group,  to  whom  she  had 
deigned  that  evening  to  show  herself. 

My  debut  was  a  matter  of  intense  excitement  to  me. 
I  was  so  yoimg  that  my  parents'  decision  to  let  me  go 
out  interested  all  their  friends.  In  my  life  it  meant  that 
changes,  which  a  young  girl  accomplishes  usually  by  de- 
grees were  made  at  one  sweep.  I  continued  my  lessons 
until  the  New  Year  of  1893,  and  wore  short  skirts  and 
my  hair  in  a  pigtail,  and  then  magically  I  was  grown,  and 
my  hair  went  up,  while  my  gowns  touched  the  ground. 
The  sudden  transition  in  my  exterior  life  was  reflected  in 
my  mentality,  also.  I  was  old  at  once — ^much  older  than 
ever  again  I  expect  to  be — and  felt  that  the  dolls  which 
had  collected  about  me  during  my  Vienna  life  must  dis- 
appear. Their  presence  seemed  a  humiliation,  and  over- 
night I  found  I  no  longer  cared  for  them.  Also,  I  had  a 
solemnly  grand  time  putting  my  study-books  away,  tear- 
ing up  the  copy-books,  disposing  of  all  the  signs  of  child- 
hood and  education.' 

I  did  not  in  the  least  fear  any  of  the  new  experiences  I 
was  to  have,  but  felt  quite  confident  that  being  grown 
was  very  wonderful  and  very  well  worth  while.  I  do  not 
believe  it  occurred  to  me  that  making  one's  debut  meant 
fun  or  anything  else  very  light.  It  was  too  important 
an  event,  and  1  rearranged  the  little  frame  to  which  I 


118  MY   LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

was  accustomed  with  somewhat  the  same  attitude  of 
mind  in  which  a  man  makes  his  will — I  must  be  reno- 
vated completely,  and  give  my  whole  mind  up,  as  I 
would  my  time,  to  new  ideas  and  new  habits.  I  expected 
to  write  a  few  letters  and  do  a  little  sewing,  read  a  book 
or  make  conversation  like  the  majority  of  grown-up 
women  whom  I  knew,  and  for  the  rest  of  my  days,  to  be 
entirely  taken  with  the  business  of  society. 

I  was  too  young  to  realize  how  foolish  was  my  theory 
of  what  was  to  come — too  yotmg  to  have  had  any  pre- 
vious experience  to  measure  by;  and  it  was  no  wonder 
that  very  many  of  the  men  who  talked  to  me  during  the 
next  few  months  were  amused.  I  had  lived  away  from 
girls  of  my  own  age,  and  had  been  so  entirely  dependent 
on  my  parents  for  companionship  that  I  was  peculiarly 
simple  and  unpretentious,  sure  everything  old  with  the 
sanction  of  custom  must  be  right,  and  that  all  the  world 
was  like  my  own  home  circle.  I  had  never  even  been 
allowed  to  read  the  newspapers,  and  in  the  family — with 
no  sister  and  no  girl  cousin  near  my  age — I  had  been 
alone  of  my  kind,  absorbed  in  the  interests  my  parents 
had  chosen  for  me,  which  were  quite  childish  as  to  plea- 
sures and  quite  elderly  as  to  duties.  In  the  light  of 
present-day  yoimg  girls'  bringing  up,  and  even  compared 
with  that  of  others  in  those  days,  my  education  was  out 
of  the  common,  and  as  I  made  my  appearance  in  the 
great  world,  to  play  my  small  part  in  its  life,  I  must  have 
been  a  rather  quaint  little  figure. 

At  just  sixteen  and  a  half,  I  was  taller  than  the  aver- 
age, and  slim,  and  from  much  training  I  held  myself  very 
straight.  My  hair  was  not  put  up  on  my  head,  for  my 
mother  thought  me  too  young,  but  my  braid,  which  was 
heavy  and  shiny,  was  twisted  by  myself,  and  fastened  in 
a  great  bvmdle  low  on  the  nape  of  my  neck.     I  was 


MY  DfiBUT  AT  COURT  119 

Very  much  pleased  when  the  dressmakers  tried  on  my 
ball  gowns,  with  their  ugly  rounded  queer  decollete  cut 
straight  across  the  front  and  back  and  down  off  the 
shoulders,  as  prescribed  by  court  tradition.  They  said 
it  was  a  blessing  mademoiselle  had  such  charming  shoul- 
ders !  It  had  never  occurred  to  me  that  shoulders  differed 
one  pair  from  another,  nor  had  I  looked  at  mine ;  and  my 
mother,  the  only  person  who  had  ever  probably  been 
interested,  had  not  spoken  of  their  existence  save  to  tell 
me  to  keep  them  straight. 

The  dresses,  three  in  nimiber,  made  for  me  by  the 
great  DrecoU  himself,  fitted  and  htmg  beautiftdly.  I 
regretted  that  as  a  yoimg  girl  I  was  not  allowed  to  wear 
a  train,  but  my  skirts  nearly  touched  the  ground,  which 
was  a  consolation.  I  had  nothing  to  say  about  their 
choosing.  My  mother  had  excellent  taste  and  I  was  de- 
lighted with  the  fine  feathers  which  were  to  be  mine. 

At  that  time  DrecoU  was  reviving  crinoline  lines,  and 
all  my  splendor  swung  out  from  my  small  waist  to  the 
whalebone  which  held  the  skirt  bottom  stiffly,  giving 
almost  the  amusing  silhouette  of  1830.  One  dress  had 
soft  white  ruffles  of  transparent  gauze,  and  its  stiff  satin 
waist  was  covered  with  clear  crystal  beads  strung  like 
a  chandelier.  I  had  never  seen  anything  prettier,  never 
dreamed  such  a  lovely  dress  would  be  mine,  and  to  cap 
the  climax  I  had  white  satin  slippers  and  long  gloves  for 
the  first  time.  The  second  gown  was  of  Nile-green  gauze 
ruffled  over  silver  cloth  from  top  to  toe,  and  seemed  ex- 
tremely grand  to  me;  while  the  third  was  of  coral-pink 
tulle,  with  ribbons  of  different  widths  sewed  horizontally 
rotuid  its  skirt — a  tiny  one  at  the  hips  and  a  broad  one 
at  the  lower  edge.  I  found  myself  losing  a  good  deal  of 
my  solemnity,  as  I  whirled  about  in  the  privacy  of  my 
own  room,  to  see  how  the  airy  skirts  would  swing.     I  had 


UO  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

tried  on  the  dresses  after  they  came  home,  and  as  I 
stopped  and  looked  into  the  mirror,  I  saw  I  was  all  rosy 
from  the  exercise  and  my  pleasure  in  it. 

For  some  days  I  went  about  with  my  mother  and 
father,  calling.  In  the  legation's  large,  deep  landau,  and 
at  the  various  embassies  and  palaces,  this  going  out 
and  being  presented  took  on  a  serious  aspect.  Each 
of  my  mother's  acquaintances  said  the  same  things, 
when  my  mother  would  announce  that  she  had  brought 
her  little  girl  to  introduce  her,  as  "We  are  taking  her  to 
the  coming  court  ball";  and  I  made  my  curtseys  and 
answered  always  how  interesting  it  would  be,  when  I 
was  asked  if  I  was  glad.  Most  of  the  women  patted  me 
on  the  cheek  or  the  shoulder,  and  said  I  was  a  gentille 
fillette,  and  wished  me  great  success;  and  my  mother  im- 
pressed upon  me  that  I  must  enjoy  all  this;  that  I  was 
getting  it,  because  it  was  the  only  time  I  would  ever  see 
anything  so  pictiiresque  and  historically  interesting,  and 
that  I  must  carry  the  memory  of  it  with  me  always. 
My  father  would  pat  my  cheek  and  say  he  wanted  me 
to  see  what  the  old  court  life  was  like  before  he  carried 
me  off  home,  and  he  always  added :  "  I  want  my  little  girl 
to  have  a  good  time."  I  must  admit  these  dull  visits 
did  not  seem  to  me  agreeable  or  impressive,  and  it  was 
with  keen  impatience  that  I  awaited  the  great  evening 
of  my  first  court  ball. 

I  had  several  advantages  over  other  debutantes  of  the 
season.  Firstly,  I  had  very  young  parents,  and  until 
that  moment  my  mother  had  been  an  enthusiastic  dancer 
and  a  belle  at  all  the  balls.  Though  only  thirty-eight 
and  looking  ten  years  younger,  she  decided  she  and  I 
could  not  dance  at  the  same  parties,  so  she  stopped,  and 
thus  swung  her  numerous  partners  among  the  diplomats 
over  to  my  use.     Secondly,  I  spoke  the  Viennese  patoivS 


]VIY  DfiBUT  AT  COURT  121 

as  well  as  French  with  ease,  and  felt,  in  fact,  rather  more 
at  home  in  those  two  languages  than  in  my  native  tongue. 
Thirdly,  I  was  too  young  to  have  any  thought  in  going 
about,  beyond  the  sheer  joy  of  a  healthy  young  animal 
in  living,  and  I  was  too  unspoiled  not  to  admire  and 
fully  appreciate  all  the  beautiful  and  picturesque  sides  of 
every  entertainment,  while  every  fibre  in  me  responded 
to  the  rhythm  of  a  good  Strauss  waltz. 

I  had  been  to  a  number  of  small  Contessen  soirees,  a 
kind  of  gathering  which  I  believe  was  known  only  to 
Viennese  society — real  evening  parties  in  semiball  array, 
with  refreshments,  music,  cards,  or  conversation,  lasting 
from  nine  o'clock  until  about  midnight,  with  no  chap- 
erons and  no  men.  No  married  women  came  to  these 
fetes;  they  were  entirely  made  up  of  young  girls,  and 
with  liberty  complete  those  present  indulged  in  the 
gaiety,  laughter,  and  song  their  bubbling  spirits  craved, 
and  time  flew.  I  enjoyed  myself  vastly.  It  was  the 
first  time  I  had  ever  been  anywhere  alone,  and  I  liked  all 
these  girls  extremely.  They  asked  me  to  a  great  many 
reunions.  Each  one  called  every  one  else  by  her  first 
name  and  used  the  familiar  "thou,"  making  for  intimacy 
at  once.  The  girls  I  had  known  before,  like  Fanny  and 
Therese  Liechtenstein,  saw  to  it  that  I  should  meet  thus 
the  large  circle  of  their  cousins. 

There  was  another  kind  friend  who  helped  me  much  in 
this  way,  too — Countess  Louise  Taaffe,  whose  father  was 
in  the  cabinet.  He  adored  his  daughter  and  did  all  he 
could  to  distract  her  from  her  fragile  health  and  much 
suffering  caused  by  a  deformed  spine.  Lovely  eyes  and 
hair  accentuated  the  pallor  of  her  interesting  face,  and 
she  wore  simple,  dark,  loose  gowns,  old  laces,  and  a 
few  fine  jewels.  In  her  father's  ministerial  palace  she 
was  established  in  the  largest  and  most  pleasant  rooms. 


m  MY  LIFE.  HERE  AND  THERE 

and  she  filled  these  with  beautiful  things,  with  flowers 
and  with  music.  "I  spend  so  much  time  here  I  try  to 
tempt  my  friends  to  join  me,"  was  her  smiling  reply  to 
compliments  on  the  apartment*s  attractiveness.  But  she 
rarely  invited  men,  though  she  could  do  so  without  a 
thought  of  impropriety  or  the  necessity  of  a  chaperon, 
as  she  had  been  made  a  canoness  of  one  of  the  established 
religious  orders,  and  this  rank  conferred  upon  her  the 
privileges  of  a  married  woman.  She  loved  the  gay  laugh- 
ter of  her  girl  friends,  and  often  gave  ConUssen  soirees, 
to  which  I  went.  I  thought  her  very  pretty,  in  spite 
of  her  deformity.  Her  culture  and  intelligence  and  her 
readiness  to  be  cheerful  were  quite  charming,  and  I  formed 
for  the  first  time  a  warm  friendship  with  a  person  of  my 
own  sex  and  somewhere  near  my  years. 

Besides  pleasure  in  her  company  she  gave  me  much 
help,  for  I  discovered  that  to  the  men  she  knew,  she  had 
spoken  of  me  and  told  them  to  be  kind  and  give  the  little 
stranger  a  good  time.  Also  hers  and  other  such  parties, 
made  me  at  home  among  the  girls,  and  they  in  their 
kindly  feeling  introduced  to  me  many  of  their  partners 
at  the  first  big  function. 

Never  once  was  I  made  a  victim  of  any  of  the  small 
mean  pin-pricks  of  which  one  usually  hears  girls  com- 
plain on  entering  society.  All  these  comrades,  from  first 
to  last,  gave  me  the  warmest  welcome  and  the  best  feel- 
ing they  could,  and  I  felt  sincerely  I  was  one  of  them- 
selves. Some  were  very  pretty,  all  wore  their  clothes 
well,  were  extremely  graceful  and  smart,  and  had  a  fair, 
soft  look.  Invariably  they  had  nice  manners.  Young 
Countess  Himyady  was  a  beauty,  with  all  the  elegance 
of  her  handsome  father,  grand  marshal  of  the  court.  She 
and  Coimtess  Mitzi  Harrach  were  the  best  dancers  by 
general  admission,  and  were  both  rich  and  very  gay, 


MY  D£BUT  at  court  1«S 

much  surrounded  by  young  officers  of  the  guard  regi- 
ments; Countess  Clotilde  Mensdorff  had  a  charm  and 
distinction  all  her  own,  and  the  older  men  who  looked  for 
conversation  gathered  about  her  always.  The  rest  were 
a  joyous  group,  typical  of  their  coimtry  in  the  sparkling 
spirits  and  the  warm  hearts,  which  composed  old  Viennese 
society. 

I  was  reacting  to  all  these  influences  as  I  dressed  for 
the  great  ball,  and  I  thought  it  showed  only  in  slightly 
heightened  color  or  in  a  faster  measure  to  my  beating 
pulses.  I  had  not  thought  at  all  about  whether  I  would 
have  success  and  partners.  No  one  had  spoken  of  that 
to  me  and  I  had  forgotten  about  it,  in  the  general  effect 
that  the  anticipation  of  going  out  had  on  me.  So  I  was 
quite  lacking  in  anxiety  and  only  glad  to  don  my  finery 
and  to  go  to  see  the  court. 

My  toilet  finished,  I  went  to  show  myself  to  my  par- 
ents, and  with  a  lock  of  hair  changed  here  and  there  or  a 
pin  added  to  my  dress  my  mother  gave  me  a  last  careful 
inspection.  Then  she  put  on  my  throat  a  beautiful  old 
necklace  of  Mexican  filigree.  I  had  never  worn  any- 
thing so  grand  before,  and  it  went  admirably  with  the 
silver  and  crystal  on  my  gown.  I  think,  when  my  mother 
told  me,  I  would  do  if  I  only  held  up  straight  and  tried  to 
have  good  manners,  that  I  was  quite  the  happiest  person 
who  started  for  the  old  Hofbiu-g  that  night. 

My  father  saw  me  all  decked  out  and  pretended  not  to 
know  me.  Then  he  said:  "My  little  girl  is  looking  terri- 
bly fine  to-night.  It  is  all  very  pretty,  sweetheart,  but 
you  must  not  go  and  really  grow  up,  as  I  don*t  want  to 
lose  my  Httle  girl";  and  then  for  a  tonic  my  mother  told 
me  in  a  good-natured  tone:  "Well,  no  one  will  notice 
such  a  young  girl,  but  you  must  just  stand  about  and 
look  on,  and  answer  if  you  are  spoken  to,  and  in  case 


Ui  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

any  one  does  look  toward  you,  that  gown  is  really  very 
handsome.  So  don't  think  about  yourself  now,  but  take 
in  all  the  picturesque  customs  and  the  great  people,  whom 
later  you  will  be  glad  to  remember."  Whereupon  her 
evening  cloak  was  put  over  her  own  slim  figure  in  radiant 
rose  brocade,  and  she  led  the  way  down  to  the  waiting 
carriage. 

A  little  drive  through  the  dark  and  cold  of  a  winter's 
night,  and  we  found  ourselves  in  the  line  of  diplomatic 
carriages,  moving  slowly  up  in  single  file  to  the  great  pal- 
ace doors.  There,  on  alighting,  one  lost  one's  identity 
in  the  feeling  of  general  excitement  and  tense  expecta- 
tion. At  the  bottom  of  the  long,  high  staircase  Franz 
took  our  wraps  and  we  glanced  in  a  mirror  as  we  passed. 
There  were  no  cloak-rooms,  or  dressing-rooms,  for  a  last 
prink,  but  my  mother  gave  my  ruffles  a  little  fluffing  up 
with  her  fan  and  straightened  my  silver  belt;  then  she 
whispered:  ''Now  you  must  do  all  the  things  indicated, 
at  once  and  without  asking  questions,  and  if  no  one  in- 
vites you  to  dance,  never  mind,  but  just  stand  and  look  on. 
If  any  one  does  ask  you,  then  accept  and  look  pleased, 
and  when  the  Emperor  speaks  to  you  remember  to  reply 
in  whatever  language  he  uses,  and  speak  clearly — you 
don't  have  to  be  at  all  shy." 

Just  then  a  very  nice  and  very  clever  secretary  of  the 
Dutch  Legation  came  up  and  joined  us.  He  had  pre- 
viously asked  me  to  dance  the  cotillion  with  him,  and 
now  he  said  with  smiling  amiability,  after  the  exchange 
of  good  evenings :  "  I  see  it  is  a  most  beautiful  vision  you 
are  to-night,  mademoiselle,  and  I  am  happy  to  think  I 
am  so  fortunate  as  to  be  the  partner  of  such  a  dancer. 
You  will  be  the  belle  of  the  ball ! " 

My  mother  answered  for  me:  "Baron,  how  kind  !  But 
you  must  not  spoil  my  daughter.     She  is  only  sixteen 


MY  DEBUT  AT  COURT  125 

and  came  just  like  a  little  girl  to  look  on  at  this  wonderful 
itte.     She  does  not  expect  many  invitations  to  dance." 

And  the  kindly  man  returned  quite  positively:  "Well, 
perhaps,  madam,  you  are  right;  but  unless  my  judgment 
is  much  at  fault,  I  fear  I  shall  have  few  opportunities  to 
dance  with  my  own  partner.  Shall  we  go  up  to  the 
hall  ?  There  are  several  young  colleagues,  who  made  me 
promise  I  would  present  them  to  mademoiselle  before  the 
circle,  if  you  consent?" 

One  of  the  ambassadors  came  in  with  his  wife  and  we 
all  wandered  up  the  great  stairs  lined  with  sentinels  and 
flunkies,  and  at  the  top  were  received  by  an  officer  of  the 
court,  who  directed  us  to  the  hall  where  the  Emperor 
was  to  make  his  official  round  of  the  diplomatic  circle. 

I  trod  on  air.  Though  I  did  not  believe  the  amiable 
baron's  words,  he  had  offered  me  the  first  compliment  I 
had  ever  had,  and  this  was  my  first  ball.  My  dress  was 
pretty,  and  I  began  to  think  there  was  a  very  pleasant 
time  ahead,  though  I  was  vague  as  to  what  form  it  would 
take.  Anyhow,  as  I  followed  my  parents  into  the  beau- 
tiful white  room,  I  trod  on  air. 

The  scene  of  my  presentation  at  the  Austrian  court 
was  a  handsome  room  in  the  more  modem  part  of  the 
palace,  and  its  decorations  in  white-and-gold  wood  pan- 
elling, with  brilliant  brocade,  were  Empire,  or  later,  in 
style.  The  fine  proportions  and  lighting  by  many  wax 
candles  made  an  appropriate  setting  for  diplomats,  who 
were  all  decked  out  in  their  best  finery.  My  father  and 
his  secretaries  were  the  only  men  in  simple  evening  dress 
and  stood  out,  marked  by  this,  in  the  throng,  where  most 
of  the  masculine  portion  rivalled  the  ladies  in  wearing 
splendid  gold  and  silver  lace  and  multicolored  clothes — 
red,  blue,  green,  and  white.  The  American  naval  and 
military  attach6s  were  well  qualified  to  hold  their  own. 


126  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

for,  though  less  trimmed,  their  full-dress  uniforms  were 
well  cut,  and  both  Captain  Hein  and  Lieutenant  Sar- 
geant  were  magnificent  specimens  of  our  national  man- 
hood. 

By  degrees  as  various  groups  came,  the  chamberiain  in 
charge  sorted  out  the  component  elements  and  arranged 
them  according  to  the  rank  of  each  mission's  chief,  this 
point  being  decided  by  the  length  of  time  since  each 
ambassador  or  minister  had  presented  his  credentials  to 
the  sovereign.  It  caused  much  comment  always  that 
the  United  States  should  not  send  an  Ambassador  in- 
stead of  a  Minister,  and  should,  in  spite  of  her  impor- 
tance in  the  world,  by  her  own  choice  take  a  second 
place  at  court.  It  was  as  if  the  country  did  not  feel  its 
real  value.  This  and  dressing  her  envoy  in  a  swallow- 
tail coat  at  court  functions,  whether  they  occurred  at 
lo  A.  M.  or  were  gala  evening  parties  (thus  putting  the 
American  Minister  on  a  par  with  the  hired  waiters), 
seemed  to  us,  as  it  has  to  many  a  representative,  some- 
what unfair.  Both  these  old  customs  have  now  been 
changed,  and  the  ambassadors  of  the  United  States  at 
present  rank  with  those  of  other  first-class  nations,  wear- 
ing a  dignified  uniform,  quieter  than  those  of  Europe, 
but,  like  our  military  and  naval  dress,  showing  good 
taste,  material,  and  cut. 

Shortly  after  our  entrance,  several  men  were  introduced 
to  me,  and  each  paid  me  the  banal  little  compliment  the 
occasion  demanded.  All  the  younger  ones  asked  me  not 
to  forget  them  in  the  ballroom  later.  I  was  also  pre- 
sented by  my  mother  to  such  of  her  women  colleagues  as 
I  had  not  met  before.  There  were  very  few  who  were 
handsome  among  them.  Lady  Paget  was  altogether 
regal,  while  my  mother's  dark  beauty  was  at  its  best. 

Suddenly  we  were  all  silent,  and  the  three  raps  on  the 
floor  had  just  been  heard,  announcing  the  solemn  entry 


MY  DfiBUT  AT  COURT  127 

of  the  Emperor  and  his  court,  when  a  little  frightened 
exclamation  at  our  left  attracted  attention.     My  mother 

turned,  as  I  did,  only  to  hear  Madam  G ,  the  wife  of 

one  of  the  ministers,  say:  '*What  shall  I  do  ?  If  I  could 
only  get  behind  you  all,  and  not  have  to  stand  out  here 
in  the  first  line,  where  every  one  can  see ! "  She  was  look- 
ing down  at  her  feet,  and  seemed  ready  to  cry;  and  nat- 
urally our  eyes  followed  hers  to  her  slippers.  The  poor 
little  woman,  through  absence  of  mind,  had  changed  her 
stockings  to  go  with  her  white  gown,  and  then,  perhaps 
meaning  to  change  later,  or  simply  from  inattention,  had 
slipped  on  her  bedroom  slippers.  They  were  small  and 
of  some  bright  color,  much  betrimmed,  but  they  did  not 
go  with  her  gown. 

To  me  it  seemed  the  woman's  situation  was  as  painful 
as  she  found  it  herself,  but  my  mother  was  not  so  dis- 
turbed and  said  coolly  enough:  "It  doesn't  at  all  matter. 
Those  look  very  pretty;  any  one  who  notices  will  think 
you  are  trying  to  start  a  new  fashion  in  wearing  a  con- 
trast, and  once  the  circle  is  over,  our  feet  won't  be  in 
view.  Anyhow,  there  is  nothing  to  do,  for  here  comes 
the  Emperor." 

Then  we,  as  well  as  the  victim  of  the  strange  mistake 
and  all  others  in  the  room,  turned  toward  the  door, 
where  the  Emperor  stood  bowing  and  smiHng  genially, 
with  the  Duchess  of  Cumberland  on  his  arm.  We  all 
curtseyed  and  the  long  procession  advanced  into  the 
room.  It  broke  up  into  informal  groups  to  chat  and 
wait,  while  the  Emperor  and  the  Archduchess  Maria 
Theresa,  representing  the  empress,  went  round  the  long 
semicircle  of  diplomats,  speaking  to  the  chief  of  each 
mission  and  his  wife,  as  well  as  to  any  new  members  of 
the  various  embassies  and  legations,  who  had  not  as  yet 
been  introduced  at  court. 

The  Emperor  began  with  the  senior  ambassador  and 


UH  MY  IJFE,  HERE  AND  ^JHERK 

moved  on  rather  rapidly  down  the  Hne,  without,  how- 
ever, any  signs  of  being  bored  or  hurried.  He  also  left 
all  the  men  and  women  convinced  it  was  a  pleasure  for 
him,  the  Emperor,  to  have  those  few  words  with  his 
guests.  It  was  all  the  effect  of  a  rather  intimate  simplic- 
ity of  manner,  which  was  the  sovereign's  marked  char- 
acteristic in  society,  for  he  rarely  talked  lengthily  or 
seriously  to  any  one.  He  approached  my  father  and 
mother  and  said  in  French,  with  a  warm  handshake: 
"How  are  you,  Colonel  Grant  ?  Good  evening,  madam  ! 
I  hear  your  little  girl  is  here  to-night  and  that  she  is  very 
gentille.     I  must  meet  her." 

Immediately  my  parents  separated  a  little,  and  as  I 
stepped  forward  and  curtseyed  low,  His  Majesty  held  out 
a  cordial  hand,  which  grasped  mine  hard  for  a  moment. 
He  looked  at  me  with  a  quick,  pleasant  glance  which  took 
in  everything.  In  French  he  spoke  again:  "I'm  glad  you 
came  to  my  ball,  Mademoiselle,  and  I  hope  you  will  find 
it  pretty  and  will  enjoy  yourself.  You  will,  if  you  speak 
German;  our  people  love  those  who  speak  their  lan- 
guage and  are  at  home  among  them.  You  have  been 
years  here  with  your  father — have  you  learned  to  speak  ? " 

I  answered  in  German:  "Ja,  Majestat !  I  do  speak 
German  rather  better  than  English,  and  I  am  quite  at 
home  in  Vienna.  One  could  not  dislike  such  a  beautiful 
place." 

The  Emperor  threw  his  head  back  and  laughed  with 
real  amusement.  "But  you  speak  Viennese — it  is  quite 
charming!  Where  did  you  leaiii  our  patois?"  And  I 
said  I  had  picked  it  up,  because  I  found  it  so  much 
prettier  than  North  German.  Wliereupon  His  Majesty 
looked  exceedingly  pleased  and  amused,  and  went  on  to 
ask  me  a  number  of  questions  in  quick  succession. 

Finally  he  said,  "I  am  sure  you  will  have  great  sue- 


MY  DfiBUT  AT  COUKT  129 

cess,  and  I  shall  watch  it  with  pleasure!" — and  with  a 
supple  bow  to  me  and  saying  to  my  mother,  * '  I  congratu- 
late you,  Madam  Grant,"  he  passed  on  to  the  neighbor- 
ing group  and  spoke  to  the  wearer  of  the  bedroom  slippers. 

I  did  not  have  time  to  see  whether  he  noticed  these,  as 
the  archduchess  was  upon  us,  and  after  she  had  ex- 
changed a  few  words  with  my  mother  and  father,  whom 
she  already  knew  well,  I  was  presented  to  Her  Imperial 
Highness.  Maria  Theresa  was  a  most  lovely  apparition 
that  night,  in  soft  white  with  splendid  diamonds  on  her 
dress  and  neck,  a  spreading  brilliant  diadem  in  the  heavy 
curls  and  braids  of  her  remarkably  fine  hair.  She  had 
a  delicate,  high-bred  face,  large  limiinous  brown  eyes  and 
a  slim  figure,  which  she  carried  with  much  pride.  Her 
expression  was  very  sympathetic  and  her  voice  gentle 
and  low,  and  though  she  said  but  a  few  words  to  me  be- 
fore she  passed  on,  she  made  those  pleasant,  and  with 
an  attractive  smile  wished  me  success.  She  was  the  wife 
of  Archduke  Charles  Louis,  the  Emperor's  brother,  but 
she  was  scarcely  older  than  her  senior  stepson,  Francis 
Ferdinand,  heir  apparent  to  the  throne.  It  was  said  she 
suffered  greatly  from  being  transported  into  the  Vienna 
wintry  weather,  that  she  had  lung  trouble,  and  was  very 
fragile  and  sad;  but  she  showed  none  of  this  at  a  court 
ball,  and  filled  her  role  with  distinguished  certainty  of 
gesture  and  action,  which  made  every  one  present  keep 
the  memory  of  her  grace. 

As  the  circle  finished,  the  procession  reformed  and  the 
Emperor  led  the  way,  offering  his  arm  again  to  the 
Duchess  of  Cumberland.  They  were  followed  by  the 
Duke  of  Cumberland  and  the  Archduchess  Maria 
Theresa,  then  the  rest  of  the  imperial  family,  and  after 
them  we  all  fell  into  line,  embassies  first  and  legations 
following  these,  each  according  to  the  rank  of  its  chief. 


130  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

Our  march  was  a  long  one,  through  the  halls  of  the  new 
portion  of  the  Hofburg,  then  into  the  older  portion, 
where  some  of  the  rooms  were  smaller,  but  where  the 
materials  and  decorations  used  on  floors  and  walls  were 
much  rarer  and  finer.  The  furniture  also  was  more 
beautiful,  and  valuable  collections  and  objects  of  art 
stood  about:  Italian  Renaissance  work,  rare  bronze  and 
amber  objects,  Gobelin  tapestries  and  Louis  XV  furni- 
ture and  silks,  beautiful  carvings,  glass  from  Venice  and 
Bohemia,  and  lacquer  or  porcelains  from  the  Orient — too 
much  to  do  more  than  notice  as  we  went  by. 

My  excitement  had  been  mounting  ever  since  the 
first  door  opened  early  in  the  evening,  when  I  had  stepped 
into  the  palace,  and  by  this  time  I  was  keyed  to  a  much 
higher  pitch.  Finally  we  moved  through  an  archway  and 
foimd  ourselves  in  the  immense  ballroom  of  the  Haps- 
burgs,  where  for  centuries  back  they  had  held  their  court. 
No.  wonder  it  had  attained  a  splendid  reputation !  To  my 
inexperience  the  space  seemed  vast,  and  the  crowd  impos- 
sible to  coimt.  There  were  men  in  uniform,  civil  and 
military,  and  in  wonderful  Himgarian  national  or  family 
costumes,  with  jewelled  swords,  buckles,  and  buttons  on 
their  velvets — dark,  swarthy  types,  who  wore  their  splen- 
dor so  it  seemed  part  of  themselves.  The  women  had 
to  do  their  best  to  keep  pace  with  these  men,  whether  in 
Hungarian  velvets  or  in  guardsmen^s  scarlet  and  blue. 
They  did  keep  up  their  reputation  of  being  among  the 
smartest  in  Europe,  however,  and  gave  a  confused  im- 
pression of  diamonds  and  other  jewels,  and  of  clothes  no 
less  lovely  because  they  were  less  vivid  than  the  men's. 
Some  raised  seats  arranged  about  the  walls  on  one  side 
were  for  the  archduchesses  and  the  older  ladies  of  the 
court;  and  for  the  wives  of  foreign  representatives  there 
were  seats  on  the  other  side.     I  had  heard  there  was  to 


MY  DEBUT  AT  COURT  131 

be  a  seated  supper  for  all  these,  while  the  gentlemen  and 
we,  the  dancers,  were  to  sup  at  a  buffet.  Also,  I  was 
told  that  at  court,  because  the  Emperor  never  sat  down, 
but  moved  continuously  among  his  guests,  we  would 
stand  for  the  cotillion  and  between  dances. 

Another  curious  detail  was  connected  with  the  pres- 
ence of  several  ministers  of  the  government,  who  were 
self-made  men  and  had  been  named  to  their  high  rank 
because  of  their  talents.  These  kept  apart,  knowing 
none  save  one  another  or  a  few  foreigners.  The  Emperor 
spoke  to  each  member  of  his  cabinet,  and  then  they 
stood  about  rather  helplessly,  but  apparently  contented 
with  a  lot  which  aroused  my  curiosity  by  its  lonesome- 
ness.  I  foimd  on  inquiry,  that  all  the  cabinet  came  by 
right  to  a  court  ball;  but  only  for  the  time  he  was  in 
office  was  the  self-made  man  asked,  and  he,  as  did  all 
others  who  had  not  sixteen  quarterings — or  four  genera- 
tions of  noble  birth  in  every  direction — knew  he  had  no 
right  to  a  court  presentation.  Therefore  no  such  man 
ever  asked  to  meet  the  proud  aristocracy  who  formed 
the  elite.  It  seemed  quaint  to  accept  such  a  situation  in 
such  a  submissive  spirit,  when  their  brains  were  admit- 
tedly necessary  to  carry  on  the  administration  of  gov- 
ernment, and  I  was  surprised  to  think  these  men  the 
moment  they  left  office  went  quietly  back  into  their 
earlier  spheres. 

I  heard  further  that  a  woman  who  married  one  of  the 
nobility,  but  did  not  possess  the  requisite  sixteen  quar- 
terings, not  only  could  not  go  to  court  herself  but  de- 
stroyed the  chances  of  her  children  and  grandchildren. 
Four  generations  must  pass,  even  if  the  Emperor  en- 
nobled her  in  her  own  right,  before  the  stain  of  her  ple- 
beian blood  could  be  eradicated  from  the  family !  This 
seemed  strange  to  our  American  ideas,  and  not  without 


132  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

a  note  of  the  grotesque  in  its  excess — but  Austria  claimed 
to  be  the  most  exclusive  court  in  Europe,  and  I  suppose 
one  must  sacrifice  something  to  such  a  reputation !  Any- 
how, it  suited  the  Austrians. 

In  a  few  moments  our  procession  had  moved  slowly 
down  into  the  centre  of  the  splendid  company  assem- 
bled, and  as  the  Emperor  turned  and  bowed  to  the 
Duchess  of  Cumberland  the  dance  music  struck  up — 
such  music  as  ears  rarely  hear — a  Strauss  waltz  by  an 
orchestra  unrivalled  in  all  Europe,  for  by  imperial  com- 
mand Strauss  himself  held  the  conductor's  baton,  and 
none  but  his  own  music  was  played  for  the  dancing. 
Ears  of  sixteen  and  feet  as  young  were  keen  to  follow  the 
call  of  such  rhythmic  strains,  and  I  was  delighted  when  a 
young  secretary  from  Italy's  Embassy  asked  me  to  dance. 

When  we  ended  our  turn,  up  came  another  and  another, 
and  a  great  number  of  the  Austrians  also  were  intro- 
duced, and  soon  I  had  forgotten  the  treasures  of  the  pal- 
ace and  the  formalities  of  court,  and  was  waltzing  with 
the  intense  enjoyment  I  had  always  felt  at  dancing- 
school.  One  officer  or  civilian  dancer  looked  like  another 
to  me,  and  their  names  were  a  jumble  in  my  mind  that 
night.  Leaving  this  question  to  straighten  out  at  leisure, 
I  gave  myself  up  wholly  to  the  joy  of  the  exciting  music, 
the  perfect  floor,  and  the  admirable  partners,  who  prob- 
ably represented  the  best  dancers  in  Europe.  Once  I 
encountered  the  Emperor  passing  in  the  throng  and  he 
smiled  amiably  and  said,  "I  see  the  ball  goes  well";  but  I 
do  not  recall  any  other  incident  of  mark.  The  younger 
archdukes  were  introduced  and  we  danced,  but  they 
were  not  so  good  at  waltzing  as  most  of  the  other  men, 
and  my  interest  in  them  was  lessened  at  once. 

Finally  came  supper,  and  my  Hollander  appeared  with 
an  amused  look,  to  ask  if  I  recognized  him  and  remem- 


MY  D15BUT  AT  COURT  13S 

bered  our  engagement.  Then  he  dragged  me  off  for  some 
sort  of  light  food.  We  were  joined  by  a  number  of  other 
men,  and  I  had  a  pleasant  time  of  it;  and  as  soon  as  the 
music  played  we  rushed  back  to  waltz  again  and  again, 
until  at  some  signal  the  party  was  over,  the  royalty 
bowed  and  retired,  and  every  one  began  to  push  forward 
toward  the  various  doors,  each  group  in  a  hurry  to  reach 
the  exit  nearest  his  or  her  carriage. 

I  had  suddenly  realized  I  was  in  a  great  crowd  alone, 
when  my  father  touched  me  on  the  shoulder  and  said: 
"Suppose  you  come  home,  little  girl.     Was  it  nice  ?" 

He  and  my  mother  looked  no  more  tired  than  I  felt, 
and  she  had  had  a  gay  time  also.  In  the  carriage,  which 
Franz  had  managed  to  produce  at  the  desired  moment, 
my  father  said,  laughing,  "I  don't  know  what  I  shall  do, 
chaperoning  two  such  belles  here  in  a  strange  coimtry"; 
and  he  added:  "I  was  very  proud  of  my  little  girl  to- 
night and  had  a  great  many  compliments  for  her.'*  And 
my  mother  said,  rather  elated,  that  the  Emperor  and 
the  Duchess  of  Cumberland  and  various  archduchesses 
had  all  noticed  me  and  spoken  of  the  way  I  danced  and 
held  myself.  And  then  by  way  of  training  she  added: 
"I  hope  you  won't  lose  your  head  and  hold  yourself  less 
straight;  you  will  lose  all  you  gained  to-night  if  you 
grow  careless." 

I  had  not  spoiled  my  pretty  gown,  either,  and  that 
pleased  my  mother,  as  she  had  seen  several  others  torn 
by  the  smart  officers'  spurs.  When  we  got  back  home  I 
was  quickly  sent  to  bed,  so  I  should  not  be  "green,"  for 
next  day  there  was  to  be  another  party,  and  a  long  sea- 
son of  them  to  follow.  So  I  quickly  laid  aside  my  finery 
and  tumbled  into  bed,  not  feeling  in  the  least  weary,  but 
only  with  a  blissful  jumble  of  memories  as  an  end  to  the 
great  day  of  my  first  ball. 


134  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

After  that  there  were  a  lot  of  splendid  f^tes,  in  which  I 
had  rather  more  than  my  share  of  pleasure,  it  was  said. 
The  young  men's  faces  became  less  confused  in  my  mind, 
and  several  were  so  kind  that  I  rather  felt  they  belonged 
to  my  own  special  little  circle.  A  few  I  met  later  in 
America  or  in  Russia,  where  our  old  warm  relations  were 
renewed  with  pleasure.  Two  more  court  balls  occurred, 
as  brilliant  and  official  as  the  first ;  also  a  third  gathering, 
called  technically  a  "Ball  at  Court,"  which  was  a  f6te 
more  intimate  and  gayer,  about  half  the  size  of  the  court 
balls,  and  where  every  one  sat  down  to  supper  in  one 
banqueting-hall.  Diplomats  and  officials  of  the  govern- 
ment were  usually  omitted  from  this  party.  We  were 
asked,  and  felt  much  honored,  and  the  Emperor  said  by 
way  of  explanation,  "Your  little  girl  likes  dancing  so 
much,  I  thought  it  would  amuse  her  to  come";  and  it 
seemed  various  colleagues  were  quite  frankly  envious  and 
surprised  over  otir  good  luck. 

There  were  balls  at  several  embassies,  the  French  ball 
being  perhaps  the  most  attractive,  because  of  the  ancient 
frame  the  Lobkowitz  palace  offered  and  because  also  of 
the  becoming  candle-light.  There  were  several  private 
balls  in  the  huge  palaces  of  some  of  the  great  aristocrats, 
one  at  Count  and  Countess  Harrach's,  where  one  almost 
got  lost  in  the  many  salons,  filled  with  all  the  imperial 
family  and  the  court,  as  well  as  society.  It  was  here  I 
saw  for  the  first  time  the  pretty  custom  of  a  host  accom- 
panying each  married  archduchess  to  her  carriage,  pre- 
ceded down  the  stairway  by  two  lackeys  carrying  flam- 
beaux— in  this  case  represented  by  candelabra  of  many 
branches  trimmed  with  lighted  candles.  The  Harrach 
palace  was  one  of  the  oldest  in  the  city,  and  was  filled 
with  beautiful  things  dating  back  through  centuries  of 
family   history.     One   felt   transported   to   the   days  of 


MY  D£BUT  at  court  135 

Maria  Theresa  as  one  looked  on  at  the  perfect  fete  given 
by  candle-light.  It  was  a  picture  with  a  perftime  of 
ancient  times. 

The  ball  at  the  Marquis  Palavicini's  was  more  gorgeous 
as  to  its  flowers  and  the  proportions  of  the  vast  rooms, 
where  the  same  number  of  people  did  not  seem  a  crowd, 
and  where  the  light  was  brighter  and  the  jewels  and 
gowns  showed  more  individuality;  but  it  was  less  quaint 
than  the  first  or  than  were  the  f^tes  given  in  several  of 
the  older  palaces — such  as  the  soirees  of  the  old  but  still 
beautiful  Countess  Clam-Gallas,  a  ball  at  the  Larish  pal- 
ace and  one  at  Prince  Hohenlohe's,  as  well  as  two  balls 
at  the  Duke  of  Cumberland's.  These  last  deserve  a 
word  of  special  mention. 

The  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Cumberland  possessed  great 
wealth,  and  he  was  the  eldest  son  of  the  blind  old  King 
of  Hanover,  whom  Bismarck  had  dethroned.  Various 
countries  had  refused  this  king  a  hospitality  which  prom- 
ised to  be  indefinite;  but  the  court  of  Austria,  true  to  its 
traditions  of  birth,  accepted  the  exiles  and  made  them 
welcome.  The  old  blind  refugee  had  lingered  for  a  time, 
and  then  died,  mourning  his  lost  throne.  His  son  had 
never  used  the  title  of  king,  but  had  taken  his  father's 
second  title,  which  was  English.  He  styled  himself 
Duke  of  Cumberland,  was  phenomenally  ugly,  and  about 
fifty,  cultivated  and  amiable,  though  far  from  a  brilliant 
man.  The  duchess  was  fifteen  or  more  years  younger  in 
looks,  with  a  very  pretty  figure,  complexion,  and  eyes, 
and  by  her  charming  manner  won  many  friends.  In 
society  she  was  received  with  sympathy,  and  went  with- 
out her  husband  frequently  to  the  balls,  even  very  infor- 
mal ones,  where  she  danced  with  an  enthusiasm  equal 
to  my  own.  It  was  an  unusual  thing  to  do  in  Vienna, 
as  none  of  the  archduchesses,  once  married,  seemed  to 


136  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

dance  much,  but  in  the  Duchess  of  Cumberland  such 
action  was  never  criticised,  since  in  spite  of  it  her  dignity- 
was  maintained.  Her  clothes  and  jewels  were  perfect 
and  her  manner  was  always  gracious  and  gay.  She  was 
surrounded  invariably  by  a  group  of  friends,  her  comer 
in  a  salon  being  one  where  conversation  and  laughter 
never  lagged.  She  was  the  yotmgest  daughter  of  old 
King  Christian  of  Denmark,  and  her  two  sisters  were  the 
then  Princess  of  Wales — now  the  Dowager  Queen  of  Eng- 
land— and  the  Dowager  Empress  of  Russia. 

The  Cumberland  palace  was  out  of  town,  at  Penzing, 
and  stood  in  a  great  park,  where  the  duke  and  duchess 
lived  in  royal  state  and  entertained  constantly.  Large 
Simday  limcheons  regularly  took  place  there,  and  musi- 
cales.  Two  balls,  besides  rather  informal  small  and  very 
agreeable  parties,  occurred  dtuing  the  short  season  I  was 
out,  and  we  were  fortunately  of  those  invited,  for  my 
father  had  met  the  hostess,  when  the  latter  was  a  yotmg 
girl,  at  the  Danish  court,  and  she  had  at  once  declared 
they  were  old  friends,  when  they  met  again  in  Vienna. 
She  had  charming  children,  two  boys  and  several  little 
girls.  The  eldest  boy  came  often  to  play  with  my  small 
brother,  or  the  latter  went  to  Penzing.  My  father  and 
the  Duke  of  Cimiberland  found  much  in  history  and 
politics  to  talk  of,  while  the  duchess  and  my  mother  were 
most  congenial,  too. 

When  I  was  taken  to  their  first  party  my  father  pointed 
out  some  of  the  interesting  collections  of  which  the  pal- 
ace boasted,  and  chief  among  these  the  Hanover  silver. 
There  was  one  room,  a  large  one,  with  silver  furniture — 
not  just  painted,  but  of  metal,  modelled  and  chased  most 
beautifully,  while  their  table  silver  was  famous  both  for 
its  taste  and  vast  quantity.  When  the  Cumberlands 
gave  a  ball  the  entire  company  sat  down  at  tables  where 


MY  DfiBUT  AT  COURT  137 

the  centrepieces  were  subjects  of  conversation,  and  one 
gasped  to  think  that  the  whole  supper  was  served  on  sil- 
ver plate,  change  after  change  occurring  for  the  various 
courses,  the  supply  apparently  inexhaustible. 

The  duchess  to  me  was  the  attraction  of  her  own  f^tes, 
as  of  any  others  where  she  chanced  to  be,  and  I  always 
felt  her  sympathy  with  my  own  craze  for  dancing.  Once 
I  found  her  in  a  side-room  having  her  tulle  draperies 
mended,  and  she  looked  up  and  laughed  to  see  I  had 
turned  in  to  help  my  own  rags,  of  the  same  material, 
with  pins. 

*' These  spurs  are  dreadful,"  she  said  gaily.  **One  feels 
quite  ashamed  to  be  in  such  a  condition,  but  it  is  great 
fun  to  dance,  and  I  enjoy  it,  even  if  it  is  silly  and  I'm 
too  old.  Your  dress  is  all  right  now.  Run  back  and 
dance  some  more." 

The  Hohenlohes  had  a  palace  out  on  the  edge  of  the 
city,  surrotmded  with  something  of  a  garden.  It  was  one 
of  those  imperial  palaces  built  in  late  eighteenth-century 
style,  and  the  effect  was  of  an  American  colonial  coimtry 
house — ^no  very  high  ceilings  except  in  the  ballroom, 
which,  as  I  remember,  was  square,  with  columns  and  a 
roimd  dome.  This  room  was  lighted  by  many  windows 
on  three  sides.  Prince  Hohenlohe  lived  here,  and  filled 
one  of  the  great  posts  at  court ;  I  think  he  was  the  Grand 
Master  of  Ceremonies.  He  was  short,  rather  red-faced, 
and  had  grown  a  bit  heavy  with  years,  but  he  had  charm- 
ing manners,  and  seemed  to  enjoy  his  own  party  and  to 
wish  others  to  do  likewise. 

All  the  appointments  were  well  carried  out,  especially 
the  flowers  for  the  cotillion.  As  it  was  spring,  these  were 
largely  lilacs,  and  the  big  bouquets  made  a  charming 
effect  in  the  dancers'  arms.  They  had  been  brought  in 
clothes-baskets  and  the  latter  were  standing  about  on  the 


138  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

outskirts  of  the  circling  pairs.  My  partner  seized  one 
to  lay  my  flowers  in,  and  having  piled  that  full,  a  second 
one  was  brought  and  also  filled,  thus  leaving  my  arms 
and  chair  free.  As  we  drove  away  in  the  early  dawn  my 
father  was  delighted  with  his  little  girl's  success,  and 
said,  pinching  my  cheek,  he  would  soon  have  to  hire  a 
truck  for  my  bouquets.  Even  Franz  was  rather  excited 
to  be  hoisting  two  clothes-baskets  and  tying  them  on  the 
top  of  the  legation  landau,  overflowing  with  flowers,  but 
it  was  my  last  ball  in  Vienna,  and  all  my  partners  of  the 
winter  were  trying  to  show  their  regret  at  my  departure. 

One  funny  and  very  attractive  custom  in  Vienna  was 
that  of  the  picnic  balls.  Either  a  group  of  young  men  or 
a  group  of  young  couples,  anxious  to  repay  kindness  or 
merely  to  do  their  share  of  entertaining,  clubbed  to- 
gether, planned  and  carried  out  a  ball  in  some  one  of  the 
restaurants  or  hotels  rented  for  the  occasion.  Such 
f^tes  were  always  well  arranged  in  every  detail,  with  ex- 
cellent supper,  floor,  and  Hungarian  gypsy  band.  Those 
giving  it  considered  their  guests  paid  them  a  compliment 
by  staying  later  than  was  done  at  private  balls,  and  to 
make  such  parties  a  real  success  one  had  to  take  one's 
morning  coffee  before  going  home  to  bed.  About  the 
only  one  of  the  royalties  who  went  was  the  Duchess  of 
Cumberland,  and  save  the  girls'  chaperons  no  non- 
dancers  were  asked.  A  few  mothers  were  invited  to 
play  hostess,  and  there  were  card-tables  to  amuse  such 
of  the  elders  as  cared  for  gaming. 

The  prettiest  feature,  and  one  I  have  seen  nowhere 
else,  was  that  each  young  man  at  those  balls  supplied  his 
own  cotillion  flowers.  Naturally  each  tried  to  outdo  his 
rivals,  and  it  made  for  very  fine  and  ingenious  bouquets. 
The  men  displayed  their  taste,  and  we  counted,  among 
the  girls,  who  should   get  most.     I   remember  O'Neill, 


MY  D£BUT  at  court  139 

who,  in  spite  of  an  Irish  name,  was  the  Charge  from 
Portugal,  had  his  bouquets  all  of  violets,  and  to  my  joy 
a  large  one  always  came  my  way;  while  yotmg  Count 
Larish  had  always  roses;  and  there  were  those  who  had 
roses  of  one  color  only.  Others  used  nothing  but  white 
or  purple  lilacs,  or  all  daffodils,  narcissus,  or  valley  lilies ; 
and  some  stupid  or  unfortimate  ones  who  did  not  know 
of  this  detail's  importance  left  their  flowers  to  the  ven- 
dor's taste;  we  girls  rather  disdained  their  lack  of  care. 
The  smart  Austrian  men's  club,  the  yoimg  diplomats, 
and  various  other  groups  each  gave  functions  that  sea- 
son which  were  among  the  gayest.  Altogether  I  had 
twenty-three  balls  in  a  few  short  weeks,  besides  many 
agreeable  soirees. 

One  of  the  Emperor's  little  granddaughters — the 
daughter  of  Princess  Gisela,  of  Bavaria — became  engaged 
to  the  young  Archduke  Joseph.  He  was  wealthy  and  be- 
longed to  that  branch  of  the  imperial  family  living  in 
Hungary.  They  seemed  vastly  in  love  with  one  another, 
though  not  at  all  a  good-looking  pair  of  fiances.  We  lit- 
tle realized  that  this  boy  was  to  be  commander-in-chief 
of  the  Austrian  armies  in  the  great  World  War  twenty- 
one  years  later ! 

At  the  end  of  the  season  there  was  also  a  wedding  at 
court,  which  was  the  occasion  of  much  pomp.  The  Arch- 
duchess Margaret,  a  most  charming  girl,  was  married  to 
the  heir  to  the  Wurttemberg  throne.  It  was  a  pretty 
ceremony,  with  a  few  of  the  diplomats  invited  into  a 
loge  of  the  imperial  chapel  to  see  the  pageant.  The  bride 
was  well  worth  looking  at,  for  in  her  long  white  robes  her 
tall  slendemess  seemed  particularly  fine,  and  her  delicate 
face  was  quite  lovely.  Her  beautiful  stepmother,  Maria 
Theresa,  looked  as  young  and  radiant  as  usual.  We 
heard  the  imperial  family  thought  the  match  appropriate 


140  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

and  satisfactory,  and  I  wondered  as  I  watched  the  con- 
tracting parties,  who  knew  nothing  of  one  another,  if 
they  would  find  even  a  moderate  share  of  happiness  in 
such  a  union.  She  would  be  a  queen  in  time,  it  was 
thought.  Poor  Margaret's  fate  was  different,  for  within  a 
few  short  years  she  died,  a  victim  to  the  lung  weakness 
which  even  before  her  marriage  had  marked  her  with  a 
fragile  look.  Of  course  the  Emperor,  archdukes,  the 
court,  and  the  guardsmen  assisted  at  these  ceremonies, 
but  they  were  no  longer  new  to  me,  so,  though  I  liked  the 
color  and  the  light,  I  was  not  quite  so  thrilled  as  I  had 
been  at  first. 

I  fancy  a  good  deal  of  gossip  about  Vienna's  ways  was 
handed  about  in  the  diplomatic  corps.  Its  members 
never  got  the  true  versions  of  personal  stories,  but  only 
the  somewhat  twisted  accounts  given  them  by  outside 
hangers-on — German  teachers  and  such,  who  went  from 
house  to  house  circulating  a  good  deal  of  nonsense,  with 
some  truth,  alas !  Various  tales  were  told  of  the  Arch- 
duke Otto's  dissipations  and  his  disrespect  for  all  things 
serious  in  life — ^how  he  abandoned  his  wife,  whom  my 
mother  liked  extremely  and  foimd  always  very  sad;  how 
he  had  one  morning,  after  a  drinking  bout,  taken  a  ride 
on' horseback  through  the  city,  and  seeing  a  funeral  had 
stopped  it,  while,  on  a  bet,  he  made  a  hurdle  of  the  hearse ; 
how  even  the  tolerant  Emperor  had  talked  to  him,  try- 
ing to  quell  this  unruly  nephew.  We  heard  it  whispered 
also  that  Francis  Ferdinand,  the  heir  apparent,  was  much 
disliked;  that  the  Emperor  despaired  of  teaching  him  the 
way  to  win  his  subjects.  Then  we  were  told  the  em- 
press was  given  to  fits  of  depression,  which  made  ner 
quite  abnormal  and  difficult  to  deal  with.  There  was 
endless  gossip,  also,  as  to  the  vices  in  the  circles  of  high 
finance. 


MY  DfiBUT  AT  COURT  141 


After  whispering  over  all  this  the  talkers  would 
straighten  up  and  some  one  would  say  with  great  deci- 
sion, '*I  don't  believe  a  word  of  it !  That  person  doesn't 
look  as  if  he  did  such  things;  and  people  exaggerate  so. 
Still,  they  do  say" — and  the  whispering  would  begin 
anew. 

Later  as  we  came  home  my  mother  would  ask  father 
if  he  thought  the  story  they  had  been  told  was  true,  and 
he  tolerantly  would  say:  ''Well,  I  don't  know;  but  if  it  is, 
there  isn't  anything  we  can  do  about  it."  And  so  the 
question  would  drop  for  a  time. 

One  family  whose  members  kept  tongues  wagging  was 
that  of  Prince  Philip  of  Coburg,  who  took  high  place  at 
court  when  he  chose  to  appear  there  as  visiting  royalty. 
He  was  an  exceedingly  important-looking  man,  about 
forty-five,  handsome  still,  though  somewhat  heavy.  He 
wore  his  uniform  with  great  elegance  and  received  with 
amiability  at  the  splendid  parties  which  he  gave.  He 
was  rather  above  medium  height,  with  thin,  close-cropped 
hair,  a  clipped  beard,  an  aquiline  nose,  and  very  keen, 
clever,  amused  eyes.  He  was  very  intelligent  and  culti- 
vated, an  admirable  talker,  well  up  on  all  questions  of 
the  day.  I  do  not  remember  why  he  chose  Vienna  to 
live  in,  but  I  fancy  there  must  have  been  some  excellent 
reason!  He  was  connected  with  both  England  and  Ger- 
many through  the  Coburg  family,  and  he  had  French 
royal  blood  through  his  mother,  who  was  a  daughter  of 
King  Louis  Philippe.  He  was  connected  with  Belgium 
and  Austria,  too,  by  his  wife,  who  was  the  pretty  sister  of 
the  widowed  Austrian  Crown  Princess  Stephanie.  He 
seemed  to  know  all  sorts  of  interesting  secrets,  diplo- 
matic as  well  as  personal,  and  he  had  great  capacities, 
yet  apparently  he  did  nothing  much  but  shoot,  collect 
books,  and  talk.     He  had  the  reputation  of  intriguing 


14A  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

overmuch,  and  he  was  not  popular,  but  apparently  did 
not  care.  He  had  been  an  intimate  friend  of  the  dead 
crown  prince,  and  was  with  him  at  the  party  where 
Rudolf  and  the  VetSsra  had  died.  Perhaps  for  this 
reason  one  saw  little  of  him  at  court.  My  father  and  he 
had  many  a  long  talk,  however,  and  the  former  main- 
tained that  Prince  Philip  was,  in  spite  of  his  defects,  one 
of  the  most  interesting  personalities  he  had  met  abroad. 
For  some  time,  even  after  we  returned  to  America,  let- 
ters were  exchanged  between  them. 

Now  and  again  an  official  function  was  given  at  the 
Cobiu-g  palace.  It  was  a  huge,  dark,  forbidding  pile — 
rich  but  ugly  in  effect,  and  of  a  bad  period.  As  one 
entered  one  was  surprised  by  the  height  of  the  impres- 
sive stairs,  and  on  every  step  stood  two  retainers,  one  at 
each  side,  in  the  family  hussar  uniform,  we  were  told. 
It  was  of  Empire  style,  and  these  two  long  lines  of  men 
were  most  effective.  At  the  top  of  the  staircase  Prince 
Philip  received  alone,  and  made  us  feel  most  welcome. 
He  told  us  if  we  would  turn  to  the  right  we  might  find 
the  princess.  We  did  so,  and  foimd  Princess  Louise  sit- 
ting in  one  end  of  the  great  salon  with  her  sister,  while 
various  vague  guests,  who  had  said  good  evening,  were 
looking  imcomfortable  and  edging  toward  the  doors. 

The  two  sisters  looked  much  alike.  Both  had  hair 
overfrizzed,  the  color  of  spun  gold.  Both  had  beauti- 
ful skin,  were  fair,  with  rosy  cheeks,  and  both  had  very 
handsome  figm-es  dressed  in  the  height  of  the  fashion. 
Stephanie  was  known  to  have  had  a  miserable  existence 
until  her  widowhood,  and — rather  unjustly,  because  of 
Rudolf's  popularity — she  was  made  to  bear  some  blame 
for  his  end.  One  felt  she  suffered  from  this,  while,  per- 
haps from  a  fear  of  criticism,  she  was  timid  to  excess.  It 
made  her  always  try  to  get  into  a  comer,  away  from 


MY  D£BUT  at  court  14S 

every  one.  I  felt  a  keen  sympathy  for  her,  her  smile  was 
so  strained;  yet  really  she  was  glad  to  talk  a  little,  and 
always  said  something  gentle  and  amiable.  I  was  told 
the  Emperor  was  very  friendly  to  his  poor  daughter-in- 
law  and  tried  to  help  her  in  various  ways;  but,  on  the 
whole,  her  life  was  sad  and  extremely  dull  and  empty — 
until  later  she  made  it  over  by  marrying  again.  Her  sis- 
ter was  said  to  be  content  with  finery  and  the  gay  life 
she  led.  Prince  Philip  of  Coburg  did  not  seem  either  for 
or  against  her,  but  quite  indifferent;  and  when  he  spoke 
of  her  it  was  with  perfect  amiability.  I  fancy  he  had 
once  looked  her  over,  perhaps,  and  decided  that  though 
they  had  no  single  subject  of  interest  in  common  she  was 
entirely  presentable  and  undisturbing  as  an  element  in 
his  life. 

When  the  rooms  filled  at  their  party,  the  prince  left  his 
place  at  the  stairhead  and  moved  among  his  guests,  stop- 
ping to  speak  with  a  group  here  and  there — a  charming 
host,  smiling  and  gracious.  The  main  part  of  the  gath- 
ering listened  to  a  fine  programme  of  music  in  the  big 
ballroom.  I  sat  in  another  room  at  the  rear  and  he 
asked  me  in  passing  where  were  my  parents,  and  said  he 
was  looking  for  them  to  take  them — and  me,  if  I  would 
like  to  go — to  see  his  mother.  I  showed  him  where  my 
parents  stood,  and  joined  them  with  him  after  a  word  of 
excuse  to  my  companions.  He  took  us  all  through  a 
suite  of  rooms  to  where,  at  the  end,  in  a  smaller  and 
more  intimate  apartment,  sat  his  mother. 

She  was  a  most  picturesque  figure.  A  lace  cap  much 
beruified  covered  her  head  of  white  hair,  elaborately  and 
most  carefully  dressed;  her  strong  face  had  massive  fea- 
tures and  sharp,  quick  eyes,  still  very  piercing  and  intelli- 
gent. Her  figure  standing  must  have  been  majestic,  for 
even  sitting  she  was  straight  and  strong-looking.     She 


144  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

wore  a  gown  of  dark,  rich  silk  or  brocade,  with  some 
beautiful  lace  about  the  neck  and  wrists,  and  a  few  jewels 
in  old  mountings.  Near  her,  against  her  Httle  sofa, 
leaned  a  thick  cane  with  a  crook  handle  meant  really 
to  lean  on ;  I  believe  she  was  a  victim  of  gout.  Evidently 
her  son  bowed  down  to  this  old  lady's  will,  and  her  face 
and  manner  well  became  her  reputation  as  one  of  the 
most  capable  managers  in  Europe.  She  was  just  saying 
she  was  too  old  to  see  many  people  or  to  appear  at  a 
party,  and  so  she  sat  back  comfortably  in  her  quiet  salon 
with  such  people  as  her  son  cared  to  present  being  brought 
in  to  her.  Her  talk  was  to  the  point,  and  her  questions 
were  sudden  and  concise. 

Some  two  or  three  people  who  had  been  with  her  took 
their  leave  when  we  came  in.  Then  she  turned  to  us, 
and  spoke  to  my  parents  of  how  she  had  heard  so  much 
of  America  from  her  father,  King  Louis  Philippe,  who 
had  found  a  welcome  in  the  United  States  while  he  was 
a  wandering  exile.  She  made  one  or  two  inquiries  as  to 
how  this  or  that  place  had  developed,  and  if  we  had  ever 
been  here  or  there.  She  spoke  of  my  grandfather  and 
asked  some  questions  about  him. 

Finally  she  turned  to  me  and  said:  **You  have  brought 
your  little  girl  out  to  Vienna,  Mrs.  Grant.  Do  you  Hke 
it  here  ?  Do  you  have  a  pleasant  time  ? "  I  made  some 
banal,  acquiescent  answer,  and  she  continued :  "Well,  you 
would;  you  look  made  to  enjoy  life."  Some  other  people 
appeared  in  the  doorway,  and  the  old  lady,  turning  back 
to  my  parents,  ended  our  visit  to  her  with  a  few  pleasant 
words,  short  and  energetic,  like  her  gestures,  and  always 
to  the  point. 

As  we  wandered  off,  leaving  our  places  to  the  newcom- 
ers, my  mother  told  me  I  must  remember  this  presenta- 
tion to  the  daughter  of  the  last  French  king,  and  my 


MY  DfiBUT  AT  COURT  145 

father  added:  "You  won't  see  many  old  ladies  like  that, 
pet.  Even  now  she  keeps  all  Europe  busy  watching  her, 
and  she  had  a  great  brain  and  wields  real  power." 

On  the  way  home  in  the  carriage  my  parents  spoke  of 
her  again,  and  of  her  second  son,  Ferdinand,  who  was  at 
this  time,  or  shortly  afterward,  placed  in  Bulgaria  by  his 
mother's  will  and  influence.  Many  people  criticised 
Ferdinand  more  than  they  did  his  elder  brother,  telling 
of  his  faults,  but  he  won  his  way  and  played  a  great  role 
in  European  poHtics  imtil  the  World  War.  If  Princess 
Clementine  had  lived  long  enough  she  would  have  en- 
joyed thoroughly  watching  his  star  rise,  finally  seeing 
him  the  Bulgarian  Czar  and  a  great  factor  in  Europe's 
history. 

There  was  another  character  in  Vienna  whom  I  saw 
and  to  whose  house  I  often  went — Princess  Pauline  Met- 
temich,  imique  in  her  generation.  She  was  at  that  time 
about  fifty  years  old,  and  still  possessed  a  very  fine  figure. 
Otherwise  her  appearance  was  more  remarkable  than 
beautiful,  and  she  did  her  best  to  live  up  to  her  reputa- 
tion for  intelligence  and  eccentricity.  Her  evening 
dresses  were  always  of  bright  hues,  preferably  green  or 
yellow;  she  wore  large  aigrettes,  at  different  angles  from 
any  one  else,  and  had  splendid  jewels,  which  she  wore  in 
quantities.  Her  face  was  worth  studying — ^large,  rest- 
less eyes  which  saw  everything,  and  could  be  very  sym- 
pathetic or  himiorous,  reflecting  her  passing  impulse;  a 
short  nose  with  an  amusing  tilt,  and  a  very  large,  thick- 
lipped  mouth,  with  sudden,  generous  laugh  always  ready, 
as  well  as  a  fimny  story  or  quick  repartee.  The  mouth 
was  exaggerated  by  brilliant  red  paint,  not  only  on  the 
lips  but  all  around  them,  augmenting  the  size  of  this 
feature  beyond  all  bounds;  otherwise  one  had  no  impres- 
sion of  artificial  make-up.    Tremendously  smart  in  her 


146  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

clothes,  houses,  and  turnouts,  this  queer  princess  was  a 
figure  as  well  known  to  the  Vienna  populace  as  was  the 
Emperor  himself.  She  organized  and  planned  all  their 
public  charities,  and  whether  it  was  Old  Vienna  of  the 
Middle  Ages  reconstructed  and  set  up  in  the  Prater  for 
strangers  from  all  four  comers  of  the  globe  to  come  and 
see,  or  whether  it  was  merely  a  great  public  ball  for  a 
minor  charity,  Princess  Pauline  Mettemich's  genius  car- 
ried through  the  enterprise  to  a  successful  termination, 
with  all  the  world  of  her  city  ready  to  work  and  play 
under  her  leadership. 

She  had  her  relations,  as  her  rank  and  blood  indicated, 
at  court  and  among  the  aristocrats;  and,  besides,  the  high 
finance,  the  Jewish  circles,  the  bourgeois,  and  the  small 
shopkeepers  knew  her  well.  She  helped  each  in  turn, 
spoke  the  patois  in  its  broadest  form,  and  had  a  cheery 
word  for  every  one.  On  the  Ring  or  in  the  Prater, 
where  she  drove  out  in  an  extra  large  and  high  victoria 
swung  on  big  springs,  with  magnificent  horses,  and  lack- 
eys in  knee-breeches,  the  crowds  stopped  to  see  her  pass, 
and  doffed  their  hats.  All  the  interesting  foreigners  who 
came  to  town  foimd  their  way  to  her  with  letters  of 
recommendation,  and  they,  as  well  as  every  kind  of  per- 
son in  Vienna's  varied  strata,  were  seen  at  her  agreeable 
parties.  She  knew  how  to  entertain  one  evening  the 
Emperor,  the  court,  and  all  society,  and  keep  the  func- 
tion from  stiffness,  and  another  evening  six  or  eight 
would  gather  about  her  tea-table  informally,  sure  of  a 
brilliant  conversational  treat. 

The  princess  was  admittedly  a  genius,  and  her  light 
shone  very  brightly  on  the  background  of  Vienna's  rather 
narrow-minded  society.  In  her  work  she  was  ably  sec- 
onded by  her  quiet,  well-bred,  and  charming  daughter, 
Princess  Clementine  Mettemich,  who  apparently  was  in 


MY  DfiBUT  AT  COURT  147 

no  way  like  her  mother,  and  shunned  a  prominent  r6le, 
though  she  had  many  friends  and  much  intelligence. 
The  old  prince  depended  a  good  deal  on  his  daughter, 
was  most  amiable  in  showing  interest  in  his  wife,  but  one 
fancied  he  was  rather  fatigued  by  her  ways  at  times,  and 
a  little  imcertain  as  to  what  she  might  do  next.  He  was 
her  own  uncle.  He  had  therefore  seen  Princess  Pauline 
grow  up,  and  I  heard  had  no  cause  to  regret  his  match. 
She  had  been  a  great  success  wherever  he  had  placed  her, 
especially  in  Paris,  where  the  Austrian  Emperor  had  sent 
Prince  Mettemich  as  ambassador  to  the  court  of  Napo- 
leon HI.  At  that  post  he  had  done  good  work,  it  was 
said,  and  the  princess  had  taken  a  imique  position,  had 
become  the  intimate  friend  of  Eug6nie,  and  had  driven 
boredom  once  and  for  all  from  the  life  of  the  French 
court. 

I  never  heard  of  but  a  single  failure  on  the  part  of 
Princess  Mettemich,  and  the  tale  of  this  was  repeated 
about  Vienna  as  typical  not  only  of  her  daring,  but  of  the 
Austrian  aristocrats'  imbending  attitude  about  certain 
things.  Baron  Rothschild  and  his  very  pretty  wife 
wished  to  make  their  way  in  the  society  of  the  gay  capi- 
tal, and  Princess  Mettemich,  whom  they  knew,  took 
upon  herself  to  try  the  groimd  before  they  made  a  ven- 
ture. She  went  to  Prince  Schwarzenberg,  who  was  to 
give  a  large  soiree. 

"Will  you  let  me  bring  my  friends  Baron  and  Baron- 
ess Rothschild?**  she  asked.  "But  I  don't  know  them; 
and,  besides,  if  I  asked  them,  they  would  invite  me  in 
return;  and  I  do  not  want  to  go  to  their  house  or  meet 
their  friends,"  answered  the  old  prince. 

"I  will  see  that  you  meet  them  beforehand.  They  are 
Jews,  but  if  you  ever  went  to  their  house  you  would 
meet  no  Jews  there."     "Then,  my  dear  Pauline,  if  I 


148  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

could  go  to  the  Rothschilds'  house  and  meet  no  Jews,  tell 
me  why  people  should  come  to  my  house  and  meet 
Jews,"  was  the  final  and  decisive  reply. 

The  story  was  much  repeated.  In  the  end,  though, 
the  Rothschilds,  I  believe,  went  to  court,  and  though 
they  made  many  friends  and  were  received  by  a  number 
of  the  broader-minded  Austrians  and  most  of  the  diplo- 
mats, they  were  blockaded  by  the  leaders:  Liechten- 
steins,  Schwarzenbergs,  and  so  on,  who  formed  the  ultra- 
powerful  group  at  the  top  of  society.  The  little  baron- 
ess, who  was  both  pretty  and  charming,  seemed  rather 
crushed;  and  before  we  left  Vienna  she  died,  after  a  long 
and  distressing  illness.  We  had  seen  a  good  deal  of  the 
Rothschilds,  and  liked  her  as  much  as  she  and  her  sister, 
the  lovely  Madame  Ephrussi,  had  both  been  liked  in 
Paris  society. 

I  had  enjoyed  my  Vienna  season  thoroughly,  and  had 
danced  to  my  heart'^  content.  Aside  from  this,  I  had 
seen  much  that  was  interesting,  and  had  made  a  nimiber 
of  warm  friends.  At  sixteen  one  becomes  easily  attached, 
and  I  felt  I  belonged  to  these  Viennese  whose  language 
I  spoke  and  among  whom  I  had  grown  up.  It  caused  me 
sincere  and  deep  distress  when  we  began  to  pack  and 
when  we  moved  to  the  hotel.  The  household  furniture 
was  returned  to  cases  from  which  four  years  before  it 
had  been  taken.  At  the  ancient  Hotel  Munsch  daily 
there  were  numbers  of  kindly  people  who  came  to  say 
good-by,  and  then  came  again,  seeing  we  were  to  remain 
still  for  a  week  or  so.  I  was  very  tearful  over  abandon- 
ing my  share  of  these  nice  friends  and  I  had  quite  made 
up  my  mind  that  never  again  should  I  feel  at  home  any- 
where or  establish  relations  such  as  these  had  been. 

At  last  the  day  of  departure  came,  and  we  went  to  the 
station  in  the  old  carriage,  accompanied  by  the  same 


MY  DfiBUT  AT  COURT  149 

Franz  who  had  met  us  early  one  morning  more  than  four 
years  ago.  Franz  was  in  tears,  and  I  was  nearly  so. 
My  parents  also  were  sad,  to  leave  what  had  been  to 
them  a  very  pleasant  post.  Flowers  and  sweets  were 
brought  to  us  in  quantities;  many  Austrian  friends  were 
there  to  see  us  off,  and  nearly  all  the  colleagues  came  in 
a  large  crowd.  There  was  great  excitement,  and  as  we 
pulled  out  of  the  station  waving  hats  and  sounds  of  good 
wishes  followed  us. 


CHAPTER  VI 

GOING  HOME 

WE  travelled  slowly  to  Southampton  and  from 
there  embarked  for  home.  The  sea  was  gentler 
with  us  in  July  than  it  had  been  in  early 
March,  1889,  and  the  fine  weather  gave  us  pleasure  for 
once,  in  our  nautical  experience.  We  were  carrying  back 
to  America  many  agreeable  memories.  Besides  Austria, 
my  parents  had  been  to  Hungary  on  a  short  stay  for  the 
twenty-fifth  anniversary  celebrations  of  the  King's  coro- 
nation. They  had  seemed  to  think  those  fetes  more 
splendid  than  anything  Vienna  produced.  They  had 
also  been  to  Rome,  received  there  by  both  the  Pope  and 
the  King  of  Italy;  and,  finally,  they  had  spent  a  few 
days  in  Paris  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Reid,  who  had  given 
them  an  opportunity  of  meeting  numbers  of  interesting 
French  people,  among  whom  the  Reids  had  taken  a  fine 
position. 

Besides  these  social  trips  made  together  they  had 
taken  us  children  over  much  of  western  Europe.  My 
father  personally  planned  every  journey  so  we  should  get 
all  that  was  educational  from  our  wanderings.  His  own 
earlier  travels,  his  knowledge  of  history,  architecture, 
and  art,  with  his  intensely  alive  mind,  made  everything 
vivid  and  interesting  to  us.  He  drew  our  attention  to 
all  that  was  worth  while,  whether  in  light  vein  or  of 
serious  nature.  My  mother  was  generally  anxious  to 
rest  during  our  trips  as  much  as  possible,  and  my  brother 
was  still  very  young  to  go  sightseeing  continuously,  so  I 
foimd  myself  often  my  father's  only  companion  on  the 
expeditions  we  tmdertook.     I  was  as  strong  as  he,  and 

150 


GOING  HOME  151 

my  absorption  in  his  favorite  interests  pleased  him  ex- 
tremely. I  was  just  of  an  age  to  understand  and  follow 
him  blissfully.  Once  we  went  to  Naples,  where,  as  my 
brother  had  been  ill,  we  spent  a  month  sunning  our- 
selves, though  the  wind  even  there  seemed  cold  that 
winter.  We  visited  all  the  delightful  points  about  the 
city,  and  I  had  a  horrid  fright  in  climbing  Vesuvius,  at 
that  time  in  eruption.  Our  little  invalid  soon  regained 
his  strength,  and  we  returned  slowly  to  Vienna  by  way 
of  Rome  and  Florence,  making  a  lovely  tour. 

Still  another  time  we  journeyed  through  Styxia  and 
Bohemia,  stopping  off  at  Ischl  and  at  Prague,  and  from 
there  going  into  Bavaria.  As  we  wandered  on  toward 
the  north  we  visited  a  ntmiber  of  the  picturesque  small 
German  cities  so  rich  in  old  buildings,  history,  and  mu- 
seimis.  Augsburg,  with  its  streets  of  the  Middle  Ages; 
Nuremberg,  a  still  more  perfect  example  of  that  same 
period;  the  small  German  rococo  courts;  Weimar,  with 
its  Goethe  traditions;  the  Wartburg,  with  memories  of 
Saint  Elizabeth  and  the  famous  singing  contest;  Coburg 
and  Hanover,  with  English  and  German  influences  notice- 
able; Potsdam,  with  its  stories  of  Frederick  and  Vol- 
taire, and  its  later  evidences  of  imperial  residence;  Ber- 
Hn,  Kiel,  and  Hamburg;  Lubeck  and  Bremen,  the  free 
cities — all  these  we  saw.  Then  on  by  boat  we  went  to 
Copenhagen,  looked  on  scenes  where  Hamlet  had  lived, 
and  from  there  into  Holland  and  Belgitmi,  with  their 
spic-and-span  little  cities,  their  quaint  beauty  of  archi- 
tecture, and  their  art  treasures.  Finally  we  travelled  up 
the  Rhine,  stopping  off  at  numerous  cities,  visiting  cas- 
tles, museums,  churches,  palaces,  and  battle-fields  with 
enthusiasm,  which  never  knew  fatigue. 

I  loved  it,  and  the  stories  my  father  had  to  tell  were 
thrilling.     He  knew  all  the  primitive  legends,  as  well  as 


152  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

statistics  he  absorbed  from  guide-books,  and  he  passed 
on  his  lore  to  us  children:  tales  of  Hans  Sachs  and  of 
Lorelei,  equally  those  of  battle-grounds  near  Metz.  He 
was  indifferent  to  what  small  discomforts  we  faced  when 
off  the  beaten  track  and  taught  us  to  be  so.  We  found 
we  liked  the  varied  hotels  and  fare  as  much  as  he,  and  we 
occupied  some  amusing  quarters  in  vague  German  towns, 
where  people  were  imused  to  foreigners.  Even  if  some- 
times our  food  seemed  very  queer,  the  beds  were  of  fine  old 
mahogany  and  the  rooms  were  scrupulously  clean,  with 
gay  cretonnes  and  neat  pillow-cases,  trimmed  with  typi- 
cal crocheted  or  bobbin  lace.  It  was  hard  to  say  just 
what  we  most  enjoyed:  the  beautiful  Schwarzwald  and 
the  Thuringerwald,  the  fine  Gothic  cathedrals'  architec- 
ttire,  the  treasures  in  the  Green  Rooms  of  Dresden's 
huge  museum,  the  primitive  paintings  of  Memling, 
Durer,  Holbein,  or  Ten  Eyck,  the  later  glories  of  Rubens, 
Rembrandt,  and  Vandyke,  or  the  market-places,  with 
their  small  carts  and  gay  colors.  Old  Dutch  and  Ger- 
man fagades  made  one  fancy  that  among  the  pictur- 
esquely dressed  good-natured  people  Faust  and  Mar- 
guerite or  Hans  Sachs  and  his  guild's  members  might 
step  out.  It  seemed  as  if  it  would  be  easy  to  meet 
Lohengrin  and  Elsa,  or  Tannhauser,  or  Elizabeth  on  any 
of  those  green  hills  with  castles,  as  my  father  brought 
them  to  life  in  his  tales. 

It  was  before  the  day  of  motors,  before  the  time  when 
ancient  walls  and  fortifications  had  been  thrown  down  to 
make  room  for  modem  boulevards.  Tourists  went  on 
foot  then  or  in  whatever  was  the  national  horse  convey- 
ance, and  were  easily  content  with  the  meals  and  com- 
forts of  each  coimtry,  even  when  one  candle  lighted  them 
to  bed.  So  we  learned  to  drink  beer  and  eat  Schinken- 
brod  with  perfect  satisfaction;  and  even  to  take  *'com- 


GOING  HOjVIE  153 

pote"  with  our  meat.  I  never  learned,  though,  to  Hke 
the  Germans'  table-manners.  It  sounded,  at  some  of 
the  long  "tables  d'h6te,"  as  if  a  lot  of  animals  were  feed- 
ing from  a  trough,  and  where  there  was  the  possibility  of 
doing  it,  we  tried  to  eat  before  or  after  the  natives  did. 

On  one  of  our  trips  we  stopped  over  at  Ostend  for  a 
few  hours  between  trains,  and  went  strolling  along  the 
broad  beach  walk  among  the  gay  throng  there.  Coming 
from  the  opposite  direction  toward  us  we  saw  the  tall 
figure  of  King  Leopold,  surrounded  by  several  gentle- 
men. He  advanced  with  long,  slow  strides,  towering 
above  other  people,  and  these  all  turned  and  stood  mak- 
ing way  and  bowing  as  he  passed.  His  roving  eye  stopped 
on  oiu*  small  group  of  four,  to  which  his  attention  was 
probably  attracted  by  the  fact  that  while  every  one  else 
was  in  light  summer  clothes,  we  were  just  off  the  train 
and  wore  dark  costumes.  He  glanced  keenly  at  my 
father,  stopped  instantly,  holding  out  his  hand,  and  then 
said,  calling  him  by  name,  "What  a  pleasant  meeting !  *' — 
with  a  very  amiable  smile.  "How  long  are  you  to  be 
here  ?  Will  you  introduce  me  to  Mrs.  Grant  ?  And  are 
these  your  children?"  He  spoke  with  each  of  us  a  lit- 
tle; said  his  daughter  had  written  him  of  my  parents, 
and  how  much  they  were  liked  in  Vienna,  and  he  asked 
a  few  questions  about  our  trip.  He  was  so  extremely 
tall  that  he  leaned  a  little  over  us  as  he  talked.  His 
manner  was  very  democratic.  He  had  magnetism  and 
was  very  clever-looking  and  thoroughbred,  but  not  hand- 
some as  to  face.  His  size  made  him  majestic,  however, 
and  he  was  not  ungraceful  or  clumsy.  After  a  few  min- 
utes of  conversation  His  Majesty  straightened  up. 

"Well,  I  am  very  sorry  you  do  not  think  our  Ostend 
attractive  enough  to  linger  here  for  a  little  longer.  I 
should  have  enjoyed  seeing  more  of  you,  but  this  meet- 


154  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

ing  has  been  a  pleastire  to  me,  Mrs.  Grant,  and  I  trust 
you  will  come  again,     Good-by  and  bon  voyage !" 

He  raised  his  hat  and  passed  on  up  the  street  in  his 
casual,  easy  way,  while  we  turned,  to  find  oiu-selves  the 
centre  of  a  large  number  of  idlers,  gathered  to  hear  the 
King  and  see  the  odd-looking  foreigners  who  knew  His 
Majesty.  We  were  soon  lost  in  the  moving  ranks  of 
people  again  and  went  on  to  find  our  train  and  continue 
oiu*  journey. 

I  think,  perhaps,  though  four  years  in  Europe  broke 
up  the  regular  schooling  which  composed  an  American 
education,  it  gave  me  other  things  quite  as  well  worth 
while,  and  to  my  brother  it  gave  these  without  spoiling 
his  home  studies,  for  at  the  time  of  otir  return  to  America 
he  was  still  under  twelve  years  old,  and  able  to  take  up 
his  work  in  the  proper  atmosphere  at  the  right  moment. 

When  we  landed  in  New  York  we  went  at  once  to  old 
Cranston's  Hotel  on  the  Hudson,  where  my  grandmother 
was  stopping.  She  was  well,  seemed  delighted  to  see  us 
and  to  have  our  long  sojourn  abroad  ended.  My  parents 
had  made  a  delightful  plan,  which  we  were  to  carry  out 
immediately.  We  were  to  go  to  Chicago  and  pay  a 
lengthy  visit  to  my  mother's  family.  The  World's  Fair 
was  in  full  swing,  and  my  beautiful  aunt,  Mrs.  Palmer, 
was  president  of  the  woman's  division.  At  a  time  when 
American  women  were  new  to  the  game  of  civic  work 
they  had  obtained  recognition  in  connection  with  the 
World's  Fair,  and  were  on  their  mettle  to  do  their  best. 
My  aunt  had  accepted  the  presidency  after  some  hesi- 
tation. It  meant  heavy  physical  labor  in  the  organiza- 
tion and  carrying  out  of  the  great  movement,  much  en- 
tertaining, long  office  hours,  crowds,  meetings,  possible 
strained  relations,  and  many  other  things  uncongenial  to 
her;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  to  carry  the  effort  through 


GOING  HOME  155 

to  a  successful  finish  meant  real  glory  to  the  women  of 
the  coimtry,  and  no  one  had  more  qualifications,  mental, 
physical,  or  material,  to  offer.  So  Mrs.  Palmer  was 
elected,  and  the  Woman's  Building  was  made  one  of  the 
most  artistic  in  the  White  City  on  the  Lake,  while  the 
celebrations  held  there  and  at  the  lady  president's  splen- 
did home  were  things  the  board  was  proud  of. 

When  we  reached  Chicago,  in  late  July,  the  exposition 
was  already  in  full  swing,  and  my  aunt,  though  tremen- 
dously occupied,  was  accustomed  to  her  r61e,  and  played 
it  easily,  gracefully,  and  without  for  an  instant  being 
flurried  or  ever  showing  fatigue.  She  was  forty-two 
then,  and  radiant,  with  fresh  skin  and  brilliant  eyes,  in 
the  prime  of  her  great  beauty.  Calm,  amiable,  quick, 
and  capable,  she  managed  her  heavy  duties  with  a  gen- 
tle manner  and  sweet  smile  which  bewitched  her  aids  and 
made  them  doubly  willing  and  enthusiastic.  She  was 
seconded  by  a  number  of  distinguished  women,  too  nu- 
merous to  name,  but  who  ably  represented  Chicago  and 
many  other  cities  in  America.  There  were  women  who 
had  come  from  abroad  as  well,  bringing  exhibitions  from 
their  far-away  coimtries.  It  was  a  totally  new  departure, 
this  woman's  movement,  and  every  one  was  watching 
it  with  deep  interest. 

That  summer  left  none  but  pleasant  memories,  both 
of  the  affections  of  the  family  circle,  still  complete,  and 
of  the  excitement  and  interest  of  the  World's  Fair.  When 
it  was  over  we  left  Chicago  with  regret,  and  I  had  dis- 
covered somehow  that  life  at  home  was  much  better  even 
than  it  had  been  in  Vienna ! 

Early  in  October  we  went  to  New  York.  We  were 
very  poor,  my  mother  told  me,  and  it  would  be  a  painful 
experience,  after  all  the  comforts  of  our  Vienna  life,  to 
settle  down  as  modestly  as  we  now  must.     Grandmama 


156  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

had  sold  her  New  York  home  and  moved  to  Washington, 
estabHshed  for  her  old  age,  so  we  were  to  live  alone,  and 
my  parents  chose  the  big  metropolis  because  of  a  busi- 
ness opportunity  my  father  hoped  for,  and  because  my 
mother  liked  that  city.  She  decided  it  was  where  she 
wanted  me  to  make  my  d6but,  and  my  brother  to  get 
his  schooling. 

We  found  a  tiny  three-story  house  in  West  73d  Street, 
and  my  parents  took  it  for  the  winter.  It  was  new  and, 
though  so  small,  somehow  our  furniture,  which  had  come 
from  Vienna,  was  crowded  into  it.  We  spent  a  pleasant 
season  there.  My  brother  was  settled  at  school,  and 
though  I  was  to  have  neither  a  coming-out  tea  nor  a  ball, 
I  was  to  be  allowed  to  accept  parties  to  which  I  was 
invited.  I  greatly  looked  forward  to  an  experience  so 
different  from  what  I  had  seen  of  the  official  world  in 
Europe  during  the  previous  winter. 

Our  life  was  not  anything  like  what  I  had  known  of 
New  York  before.  In  the  old  times  my  interests  had 
been  confined  to  the  two  rooms  we  occupied,  where  we 
slept,  studied,  and  played  the  days  away,  our  only 
change  being  meal  hours  with  the  family  or  a  walk  in 
Central  Park,  with  a  dancing-class  once  or  twice  each 
week,  and  an  excursion  to  the  shopping  district  of  the 
city  two  or  three  times  a  year.  Now,  with  slow  horse- 
cars  changed  to  cable  on  the  main  lines,  73  d  Street  did 
not  seem  nearly  so  far  from  the  centre  of  movement 
as  had  my  grandparents*  home  in  earlier  days.  Then 
instead  of  the  quiet  I  had  known  before,  we  now  led  an 
agitated  life,  more  so  even  than  had  been  those  last  gay 
months  in  Vienna. 

I  found  it  did  not  much  matter  our  being  poor,  except 
that  one  could  not  give  big  parties  or  have  many  fine 
clothes,  and  that  street-cars  replaced  the  legation  car- 


GOING  HOME  157 

riage.  But  others  gave  so  many  entertainments  it  would 
have  been  difficult  to  fit  any  more  into  the  season,  any- 
how, and  my  lovely  atmt  sent  me  two  pretty  gowns. 
When  one  is  seventeen  and  overflowing  with  the  joy  of 
life,  money  is  of  no  special  importance !  College  friends 
took  me  with  parties  to  football  games  and  college  proms 
or  to  cadet  hops,  and  by  the  time  our  tiny  house  was 
settled,  there  were  callers  enough  to  make  the  rooms  seem 
even  smaller  than  they  were.  These  Americans  were  my 
own  people,  and  in  spite  of  the  four  years  and  more  spent 
abroad,  I  found  they  felt  the  same  way  I  did  about 
everything.     I  had  no  cause  to  regret  or  miss  Vienna. 

My  parents,  too,  had  many  friends  who  were  glad  of 
their  return  to  New  York.  They  were  much  invited, 
while  I  got  more  than  a  pleasant  share  of  invitations 
through  the  same  kind  soiu-ces.  I  had  imagined,  and  so 
had  my  mother,  that  having  been  away  so  long  would 
make  coming  out  in  New  York  extremely  difficult,  but 
if  anything  it  was  just  the  opposite.  We  found  Ameri- 
can society  rather  liked  European  traditions.  It  was  still 
in  the  phase  where  people  composing  it  were  limited  in 
number  and  where  leaders  were  acknowledged  who  bore 
names  distinguished  in  colonial  or  revolutionary  history. 

Ward  McAllister,  an  important  figure  locally,  was  not 
yet  too  old  in  years  to  lead  at  dances  or  to  decide  arbi- 
trarily upon  the  invitations  to  the  Patriarchs'  Ball  at  old 
Delmonico's.  Every  one  knew  every  one  else.  The 
same  orchestra  had  been  playing  for  a  generation,  and  its 
programme  was  fixed,  while  the  entry  of  guests  and  the 
opening  of  the  Patriarchs'  Ball  was  a  very  stately  affair. 
Middle-aged  women  wore  stiff  silks,  fine  jewels,  and  old 
laces,  and  younger  guests  felt  anxious  for  invitations, 
grateful  when  they  came,  and  worried  over  the  fit  of  their 
gowns.     There  were  certain  reigning  belles  or  beauties 


158  MY  LIFE.  HERE  AND  THERE 

of  New  York  whose  reputations  were  established,  while 
the  ambitious  from  other  cities  came  to  be  presented  at 
"a  Patriarchs'"  much  as  abroad  they  went  to  court. 
The  CamivaFs  queen  from  New  Orleans,  or  a  new  beauty 
from  Richmond  or  Baltimore,  was  always  received  and 
examined  by  the  dowagers  and  critics  quite  seriously, 
was  passed  upon  as  having  good  manners  and  bearing — 
or  not — as  well  as  fine  feathers  and  complexion !  When 
approved  she  was  invited  to  ftirther  assemblies  and  pri- 
vate balls,  and  she  often  returned  and  stayed  perma- 
nently in  New  York.  But  the  Patriarchs*  was  the  crisis 
in  her  career. 

A  group  of  men — ^not  boys,  but  club-men  of  age  and 
standing — ^had  much  to  do  with  placing  a  girl.  If  they 
approved  her  looks,  were  introduced  promptly,  called  on 
her  and  danced  with  her,  the  yoimgsters  followed  suit; 
and  provided  she  could  hold  her  beaux  she  foimd  herself 
an  established  success,  with  every  cotillion  and  supper 
engaged  months  beforehand,  with  bouquets  galore,  which 
she  carried  to  dinners,  operas,  or  balls — daily  boxes  of 
violets  and  avalanches  of  flowers  when  the  holidays  came 
round.  Every  girl  on  Sunday  afternoons,  throughout 
the  season,  if  things  were  going  well,  considered  twenty 
to  thirty  young  men  callers  but  a  proper  ntimber. 

Besides  these  acquaintances,  there  formed  a  group  of 
more  intimate  friends,  who,  however  poor  one  was  and 
however  little  one  entertained,  dropped  in  to  lunch  or 
dinner,  took  one  walking  on  Fifth  Avenue,  made  long 
evening  visits  in  the  off-season,  and  seemed  to  enjoy  a 
cup  of  tea  late  of  an  afternoon,  even  when  the  carnival 
was  at  its  height. 

To  me,  after  Europe,  there  seemed  a  delightful  in- 
formality about  all  this,  and  I  fitted  into  customs  which 
— compared  with  those  of  present  New  York — seem  of 


GOING  HOME  150 

another  age.  I  had  a  kind  protectress  in  Mrs.  Rhine- 
lander,  who  was  a  great  power  in  the  city.  Hers  were 
the  quaint  looks  and  attitude  of  an  earlier  generation, 
and  she  could  boast  the  blood  of  ancient  colonists,  of 
course.  It  was  she  who  saw  to  it  that  I  was  invited  to 
my  first  Patriarchs'  and  to  two  or  three  other  of  the 
ultra-smart  fimctions  in  the  early  season.  At  her  high 
tea  on  Sunday  evenings  I  met  and  made  my  first  inti- 
mate friends.  Her  sons  and  their  comrades  were  of  the 
all-powerful  club  set,  while  the  younger  women  of  their 
group  were  distinguished  both  for  looks  and  for  fine 
breeding.  A  background  of  ancient  family  portraits  and 
old  silver  brought  from  Dutch  or  English  homes  by 
ancestors  added  their  charm  to  these  gatherings,  where 
conversation  never  flagged.  The  company  bore  names 
of  generals  who  fought  for  liberty,  of  signers  of  the  Dec- 
laration of  Independence,  or  of  those  who  had  shown 
themselves  statesmen  or  administrators  of  mark  through 
history.  Because  "noblesse  oblige,"  these  guests  had 
both  manners  and  culture,  and  with  tolerance  toward 
others  they  combined  some  severity  toward  themselves. 

There  were  many  people  even  then  in  New  York  who 
had  great  fortunes — as  money  coimted  in  those  days — 
and  these  lived  in  large  houses  within  easy  reach  of  one 
another,  many  of  them  about  Washington  Square. 
Younger  couples  were  moving  up- town,  and  it  caused 
almost  distress  and  much  criticism  to  see  them  branch- 
ing out,  doing  new  things.  Various  old  ladies  threw  up 
their  hands,  shaking  their  bangles  and  wondering  what 
society  was  coming  to,  with  scandal  being  talked,  and 
the  drinking  of  cocktails  at  the  clubs,  and  so  much 
flirting ! 

Yet  New  York  was  extremely  attractive.  On  Sunday 
mornings,  especially  on  Easter  Sunday,  every  young  and 


160  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

pretty  girl  or  woman  walked  a  few  blocks  on  the  Avenue 
in  her  best  bonnet,  violets  or  roses  pinned  to  her  gown 
and  a  prayer-book  in  her  hands.  She  was  invariably 
accompanied  by  one  or  more  admirers,  making  conver- 
sation. 

High  place  in  society  was  duly  given  the  general  in 
command  at  Governor's  Island  and  the  admiral  who 
commanded  at  the  Brooklyn  Navy  Yard,  and  they,  with 
their  staffs,  were  the  central  figures  of  official  entertain- 
ments. Mrs.  Vanderbilt,  senior,  a  widow,  living  in  re- 
tirement, left  her  sons  and  daughters,  each  with  a  fine 
house,  the  duty  of  entertaining.  Old  Mrs.  Astor  received 
much  and  with  great  dignity  and  splendor.  There  were 
a  nimiber  of  others,  also,  to  hold  tradition's  fort,  making 
any  newly  rich  strangers,  who  were  candidates  for  recog- 
nition in  New  York,  feel  they  had  a  thorny  path  to  tread 
before  they  reached  the  pinnacle  of  their  ambition  and 
became  members  of  the  Four  Hundred. 

It  was  just  the  end  of  the  era  of  ancient  ways,  and  I 
saw  the  beginnings  of  the  new  invasion,  both  as  to  ideas 
and  people.  Fine  old  ladies  with  smooth  bandeaux,  or 
hair  scalloped  on  their  foreheads  still  wore  loose  gowns 
of  taffeta,  satin,  or  velvet  and  old  lace,  because  their  age 
permitted  nothing  more  frivolous.  White  stockings,  with 
black,  flat-heeled,  and  silver-buckled  slippers,  clad  their 
comfortable  feet,  and  they  were  served  by  retainers  who 
knew  the  foibles  of  the  household,  in  which  each  servant 
took  a  personal  pride,  since  usually  they  had  been  in 
their  places  many  years. 

New  York  in  the  early  nineties  was  really  a  very 
quaint  place,  where  one  had  time  of  an  afternoon  to  talk 
and  visit  for  pleasure !  In  early  spring,  after  business 
hours,  many  a  yotmg  man  could  be  seen  driving  good 
horses  in  Central  Park,  with  one  of  the  season's  belles 


GOING  HOME  161 

seated  beside  him,  in  a  smartly  turned-out  nmabout, 
while  dowagers  in  handsome  victorias  would  nod  amiably 
in  passing,  and  then  turn  to  look  again  and  gossip,  all 
from  sheer  interest  as  to  whether  an  engagement  would 
be  announced  soon  or  not. 

Our  home  life  was  quiet  and  modest  to  a  degree,  but 
full  of  contentment.  My  father  was  busy  with  some 
writing,  preparing  a  new  popular  edition  of  my  grand- 
father's book,  with  annotations  of  his  own,  also  with 
more  maps  and  pictures  than  the  original  volumes  had 
held.  This  soon  had  a  large  sale,  and  the  work  was  of 
a  kind  my  father  most  enjoyed.  My  brother  loved  the 
American  ways,  and  had  plimged  with  zest  into  his  school 
life  at  Cutler's.  He  was  doing  well  in  his  studies  and 
was  becoming  a  great,  tall  fellow.  His  health  gave  my 
mother  some  anxiety,  as  she  felt  he  was  perhaps  out- 
growing his  strength,  and  she  spent  much  time  devising 
new  means  of  building  him  up,  and  did  so  with  marked 
success.  She  rather  dreaded  the  strain  of  West  Point  for 
him,  and  said  all  she  could  to  persuade  him  to  take  a 
classical  course  in  college  and  then  go  into  law.  But  the 
boy  himself  wanted  to  be  a  soldier,  and  stuck  to  his  ideal, 
while  my  father,  I  think,  was  content  to  have  the  third 
generation  follow  in  his  own  and  my  grandfather's  foot- 
steps, choosing  a  career  for  which  by  nature  my  brother 
seemed  well  qualified.  Finally,  having  finished  at  Cut- 
ler's at  sixteen,  the  boy  took  one  year  at  Colimibia  Col- 
lege, and  then  entered  West  Point.  His  appointment 
was  given  him  in  rather  an  interesting  manner. 

Once  during  that  last  winter  of  my  grandfather's  life, 
when  we  lived  with  him  in  New  York,  my  father,  to  dis- 
tract the  invalid  from  his  terrible  suffering,  had  talked  of 
his  boy's  future,  saying  he  hoped  the  youngster  would  go 
through  the  Military  Academy  and  then  into  the  army, 


16^  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

as  they  both — the  elders — ^had  done.  With  a  sudden 
inspiration  he  added  he  would  like  the  boy  to  go,  not 
from  any  single  district  of  the  United  States  to  West 
Point,  since  they  of  the  army  belonged  to  all  the  coun- 
try, but  that  he  wanted  very  much  the  boy's  appoint- 
ment to  come  to  him  from  the  President,  as  a  matter 
of  sentiment.  He  continued:  ** Father,  I've  never  asked 
you  to  do  me  a  favor,  but  I  think  if  you  will  write  it,  I 
would  like  a  letter  from  you  to  the  then  President  of  the 
United  States,  asking  him  to  appoint  my  boy  a  cadet." 
I  heard  my  grandfather  was  greatly  pleased,  and  the  fol- 
lowing day  he  prepared  a  letter  and  gave  it  to  his  son  for 
use  when  the  sturdy  four-year-old  toddler  should  need 
it.     It  was  short  and  simple  and  contained  this  request: 

**May  I  ask  you  to  favor  the  appointment  of  Ulysses 
S.  Grant — the  son  of  my  son,  Frederick  Grant — as  a 
cadet  at  West  Point,  upon  his  application  ?  In  doing  so 
you  will  gratify  the  wishes  of  ^    ^    Chant  '* 

By  chance  General  Sherman  was  present  when  the 
note  was  finished,  and  my  father  read  it  to  him.  Gen- 
eral Sherman  exclaimed  over  it,  and  my  father  said: 
*'Why  don't  you  sit  down,  general,  and  indorse  this? 
My  youngster  will  be  very  proud  of  such  a  paper  some 
day."     Sherman  was  pleased  to  do  so,  as  follows: 

"It  seems  superfluous  that  any  addition  should  be 
necessary  to  the  above,  but  I  cheerfully  add  my  name 
in  the  full  belief  that  the  child  of  such  parents  will  be 
most  worthy  the  appointment  solicited. 

W.  T.  Sherman." 

When  my  brother  was  ready  for  West  Point,  this 
double  petition  went  to  President  McKinley,  and  the 


GOING  HOME  163 

latter  not  only  complied  with  the  request  it  conveyed, 
but,  adding  a  little  note,  he  returned  the  precious  letter 
to  my  brother,  who  treasures  it  to  this  day. 

The  boy,  with  his  strong  character  and  fine  brain,  de- 
veloped well  and  did  credit,  both  at  West  Point  and 
afterward,  to  his  name  and  bringing  up.  Graduating 
among  the  first  of  his  class,  popular  with  his  comrades 
and  those  under  his  orders  as  well  as  with  his  command- 
ers, he  has  always  filled  difficult  posts  and  filled  them 
well.  My  father  was  vastly  proud  of  him,  and  took  im- 
mense comfort  in  the  very  words  "my  son";  and  though 
the  active  work  of  each  in  theii"  common  profession  kept 
them  far  apart,  my  brother  repaid  his  parents  for  the 
care  and  devotion  the  latter  had  offered  him  in  their  time. 
Especially  gratifying  to  my  father  and  my  mother  was 
my  brother*s  marriage  with  Miss  Edith  Root,  the  only 
daughter  of  an  old  friend  admired  and  loved  by  our 
elders. 

We  were  all  much  together  during  my  girlhood,  and 
our  home  circle  had  a  warmth  which  drew  relatives  and 
friends  into  its  sunny  atmosphere.  I  danced  and  dined, 
and  was  taken  to  opera  or  play,  or  to  drive,  with  kindly 
people,  and  I  enjoyed  myself  more  and  more  as  months 
and  years  flew  by.  I  grew  in  experience,  and  in  spite  of 
the  lack  of  money,  I  had  as  many  worth-while  things  as 
those  girls  of  means  among  whom  I  went,  for  I  enjoyed 
all  their  pleasures  and  carried  no  responsibility. 

I  went  to  Washington  and  made  my  debut  there,  too, 
at  a  ball  given  for  me  by  Mrs.  John  McLean,  a  chum  of 
my  mother's.  After  her,  others  of  my  mother's  friends 
followed  suit  in  entertaining  me,  and  at  the  capital,  as 
in  New  York,  I  was  much  spoiled.  Before  the  first  of 
these  big  fimctions  I  had  gone  to  show  myself  in  my 
best  evening  dress  to  grandmama,  who  said  she  wanted 


164  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

to  see  me.  She  received  me  in  her  parlor,  where  she  was 
sitting  after  her  dinner,  and  on  a  Httle  table  by  her  lay 
a  box. 

''Well,  dear,  you  look  very  nice,"  she  said.  "I'm  glad 
to  have  my  pretty  granddaughter  going  out.  It  makes 
me  feel  young  again  myself.  Now  I  want  you  to  wear 
your  pearls  with  that  white  gown,  so  they  will  bring  you 
luck  as  they  did  me.  Grandpapa  always  said  they  were 
yours — ^my  namesake's — after  me,  and  I  am  too  old  and 
wear  mourning  too  deep  to  use  them  ever  again.  If  I 
kept  them  they  would  be  just  in  the  bank,  and  I  would 
rather  have  you  enjoy  them  and  wear  them  on  your 
young  neck  while  I  can  see  them  there,  than  to  have 
them  lie  all  closed  up  where  no  one  gets  any  pleasure 
from  them,  and  with  you  waiting  for  me  to  die." 

So  she  opened  the  box  and  took  out  the  string  of  beau- 
tiful pearls  I  had  so  often  handled  in  my  childhood,  and 
which  I  remembered  putting  on  her  neck. 

"They  are  Julia  Grant's  pearls  and  will  bring  you  luck, 
and  they  look  very  pretty.  Do  they  feel  nice?"  she 
asked  with  a  smile  as  the  clasp  snapped. 

I  loved  them,  and  I  was  vastly  proud  of  their  size  and 
sheen  and  of  the  fact  that  they  were  mine.  I  had  never 
owned  anything  so  grand,  and  I  naturally  prized  them 
doubly  for  the  memories  connected  with  them  and  for 
the  fact  that  grandmama  had  given  them  to  me  herself 
for  my  first  big  American  ball. 

Washington,  though  the  capital,  had  little  in  common 
with  Vienna,  but  I  liked  society  there  just  as  much  or 
even  more  than  abroad.  I  visited  the  White  House 
several  times,  and  was  impressed  with  its  dignified  style 
and  sober  beauty.  It  was  a  building  to  me  typical  of 
our  American  ideals,  exactly  the  place  where  our  first 
magistrate  should  be  housed.  It  had  such  a  simple, 
homelike  atmosphere,  with  enough  of  space  and  grandeur 


GOING  HOME  165 

in  the  proportions  of  rooms  and  porticoes  to  make  one 
feel  the  good  quality  of  the  people  who  had  built  it. 
The  gardens  were  enchanting,  and  suggested  a  repose  no 
other  city  palace  I  had  seen  possessed.  I  was  glad  to 
have  come  into  the  world  in  such  a  nice  place,  and  I 
thought  the  whole  city  of  Washington  exceptionally 
attractive. 

My  grandmother  lived  there  in  an  agreeable,  sunny 
home — comfortable  and  content  through  her  last  years, 
surroimded  by  friends  of  other  times,  visited  frequently 
by  her  sons  and  keeping  her  daughter  with  her  always, 
for  Aimt  Nelly  was  a  widow  and  had  returned  from  Eng- 
land with  her  children  to  live  again  in  her  native  land. 
Something  of  an  invalid  she  was,  yet  able  to  move  about 
and  enjoy  the  Indian  summer  of  what  had  been  a  diffi- 
cult existence  bravely  faced.  It  made  grandmama  very 
happy  to  have  her.  She  seemed  glad,  also,  that  we  were 
in  the  United  States  again.       ^ 

Each  spring  and  fall  she  stayed  with  us  in  our  little 
New  York  home,  going  and  coming  from  her  cottage  at 
Coburg,  for  which  Elberon  and  its  damp  climate  had 
been  exchanged.  We  always  loved  grandmama's  visits, 
for  she  was  a  cheery  person,  keenly  interested  in  every- 
thing, childishly  intense,  and,  though  her  eyes  were  fail- 
ing, she  still  had  many  resources.  She  lived  much  in 
the  past,  and  the  family  persuaded  her  to  dictate  her 
memoirs.  She  began  with  enthusiasm,  putting  intense 
frankness  into  them.  She  would  say  to  my  father: 
"Now,  Fred,  I'm  doing  this,  and  I'm  enjoying  saying 
just  what  I  think  about  every  one  since  'way  back. 
Later  it  will  be  interesting,  because  it  will  show  what 
people  were,  but  I  don't  want  all  this  published  for  sev- 
eral generations.  Some  one  might  get  mad,  because  I'm 
telling  how  they  really  felt  and  acted." 

Grandmama  was  visited  by  large  numbers  of  persons 


166  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

in  her  last  years,  and  she  kept  her  charm  of  conversation. 
No  occasion  was  more  worth  witnessing  than  when  one 
day  Li  Hung  Chang,  the  viceroy,  passing  through  New 
York,  expressed  a  desire  to  see  her.  She  was  with  us  at 
the  time  in  our  house  in  East  626.  Street,  where  we  had 
moved  during  my  second  season.  Everything  was  ar- 
ranged for  the  great  man  to  come  with  his  numerous 
suite  and  pay  his  respects.  The  Chinese  Bismarck  was 
tall  and  gorgeous  to  behold,  surrounded  with  secretaries 
and  interpreters.  He  and  they  were  all  dressed  in  the 
most  vivid  silks.  He  had  been  to  my  grandfather's 
tomb  to  plant  in  tribute  two  trees  from  his  native  land, 
for  my  grandfather  had  met  him  in  China  several  times. 
They  had  had  long  conferences,  and  the  old  gentleman 
had  then  said  with  simplicity  to  his  visitor:  ''You  and 
I,  General  Grant,  are  the  greatest  men  in  the  world!" 
Now  his  tribute  to  my  grandfather's  memory  and  his 
call  of  respect  to  the  latter's  widow  seemed  very  touching. 

In  spite  of  his  eighty  years  or  so,  and  his  fragile  health, 
the  statesman  was  still  of  fine  presence.  He  came  into 
our  parlor  and  sat  with  Oriental  calm  as  his  attendants 
brought  in  bales  and  packages:  the  gifts  he  offered. 
Some  wonderful  ancient  statuettes  in  ivory  and  wood, 
some  cups  of  rare  old  porcelain,  and  some  jades  were  for 
my  mother  and  father;  several  rolls  of  beautiful  rich 
silks,  appropriate  both  for  dress  and  furniture,  splendid 
brocades,  and  several  admirable  embroideries  were  for 
us — things  not  to  be  found  in  modem  shops. 

These  were  distributed  about,  with  a  flowery  word  of 
compliment  from  the  donor,  carefully  translated  by  the 
interpreter  to  each  recipient  in  turn. 

Then  with  equal  care  a  large  covered  piece  of  furniture 
was  brought  into  the  room  and  unpacked.  It  turned  out 
to  be  a  wheeled  chair  with  every  mechanical  device  for 


GOING  HOME  167 

putting  an  invalid  at  ease,  and  arranged  so  the  occupant 
could  run  the  chair  herself.  Our  visitor  was  obviously 
delighted  with  the  hideous  ultramodern  capacities  of 
these  appliances,  and  had  them  all  exhibited.  He  turned 
to  grandmama  with  all  solemnity  at  last  and  had  the  in- 
terpreter explain  he  had  seen  this  marvellous  machine, 
thought  of  the  poor  widow  of  his  friend,  and  had  imme- 
diately purchased  it  to  offer  it  to  her  in  her  old  age;  he 
hoped  she  would  enjoy  and  use  it !  Grandmama,  who 
in  spite  of  her  seventy  odd  years  and  heavy  weight  was 
very  spry  and  never  thought  of  infirmities,  was  surprised 
and  even  indignant  at  being  called  old  or  thought  of  as 
decrepit.  Yet  she  was  much  touched  by  Li  Hung 
Chang's  attention.  Between  gratitude,  amusement,  and 
annoyance,  her  face  made  a  queer  study,  but  she  rose 
to  the  occasion  and  thanked  him  charmingly.  They 
talked  lengthily  of  their  mutual  memories,  of  China,  of 
my  grandfather's  illness,  of  actual  politics.  Several 
times  Li  Himg  Chang  brought  up  the  subject  of  age,  and 
wotdd  say,  "You  and  I  are  very  old";  and  afterward 
grandmama  spoke  of  it  with  mixed  heat  and  fun.  "He 
is  at  least  ten  years  older  than  I  am,"  she  would  repeat. 
He  spent  the  whole  afternoon  with  us,  and  the  visit 
was  most  enjoyable.  The  polite  Chinese — ^both  he  and 
his  suite — drank  tea  they  probably  thought  horrid  com- 
pared with  the  amber  brew  they  knew,  and  ate  light 
refreshments  they  also  probably  hated.  But  their  faces 
and  manners  never  betrayed  anything  but  the  suave 
poHteness  of  the  Far  East,  and  long  after  their  departure 
that  highly  colored  group  was  pleasantly  referred  to  in 
otir  talk,  while  their  beautiful  gifts  were  much  enjoyed. 
I  received  as  my  share  of  them  a  box  of  perfumed  flower 
tea  and  a  roll  of  silk  the  color  of  spring  green,  possessing 
a  sheen  of  moonlight.     No  Western  hands  could  produce 


168  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

such  quality  and  dye.  In  my  Russian  home,  where  I 
used  the  material,  it  was  much  admired,  and  was  only 
rivalled  by  another  material  I  had  also  from  the  Far 
East.  This  other  was  of  wonderful  Japanese  weave — 
coral  red,  deep  violet,  and  white  flowers  on  a  ground  of 
dull  gold.  It  had  been  a  present  from  the  Mikado  to 
the  White  House  baby  at  her  birth,  and  was  sent  to 
make  me  a  court  robe !  I  could  not  cut  up  or  wear  such 
splendor,  but  had  had  a  frame  constructed,  and  I  used 
it  as  a  screen  in  my  salon,  where  it  glittered  and  glim- 
mered softly  in  the  midst  of  treasures  of  old  Europe. 
The  work  of  deft  Oriental  fingers  and  looms  more  than 
held  its  own  in  such  company,  and  won  the  praise  of 
connoisseurs.  One  hates  to  think  such  beauty  has  been 
wantonly  ruined  by  the  hands  of  Bolshevik  destroyers ! 

As  the  months  flew  by,  my  father's  time  was  more  and 
more  crowded  with  useful  work.  The  new  edition  of 
my  grandfather's  book  finished,  he  did  some  writing  on 
his  own  account — ^war  articles  for  various  magazines. 
Then  he  found  himself  becoming  intensely  absorbed  by 
the  local  political  situation,  both  in  New  York  and 
nationally.  He  was  associated  with  many  of  the  emi- 
nent men  of  the  day,  renewed  old  or  made  new  friend- 
ships which  were  both  interesting  and  useful.  Among 
these  the  veteran  Roscoe  Conkling,  who  died  soon  after; 
Senator  Root,  whose  talents  and  character  already  placed 
him  in  the  forefront  of  the  great;  Joseph  Choate,  Senator 
William  Evarts,  General  Sherman,  and  General  Porter, 
ex-President  Harrison,  President  McKinley,  and  the  po- 
litical bosses  Senator  Piatt  and  Mark  Hanna,  passed 
through  our  parlor,  dined  at  oiu*  table  informally,  or  came 
to  talk  with  my  father  about  the  interests  of  the  country, 
state,  or  city,  and  the  aims  and  work  of  the  Republican 
party. 


GOING  HOME  169 

The  effervescent  Roosevelt  was  daily  gaining  more 
prominence  in  the  midst  of  many  other  men  of  mark,  and 
one  felt  his  remarkable  talents  and  magnetism.  Amus- 
ing, interesting,  with  a  quick,  warm  sympathy  and  a 
charm  innate,  Roosevelt  was  the  keenest,  the  most  in- 
tense and  urgent  personality  imaginable.  He  and  my 
father  were  quite  intimately  thrown  together,  for  they 
were  made  co-workers  in  the  Police  Department  when  a 
reform  wave  swept  New  York.  They  often  disagreed  as 
they  discussed  the  reorganization  of  the  poHce  force  and 
the  cleaning  up  of  New  York's  tragic  and  criminal  dis- 
tricts. Roosevelt  talked  a  great  deal,  always  rapidly 
and  persuasively.  He  was  much  more  of  a  politician 
than  my  father.  The  latter  would  listen  with  sincere 
enjoyment  to  his  brilliant  partner.  Then  after  some  time 
he  wotild  say  in  a  very  quiet  voice:  "Well,  that  is  one 
way  of  putting  it,  but  did  you  notice  this  ?  Or  suppose 
we  just  think  of  this  other  side  a  minute** — and  in  a  few 
concise  phrases  my  father  would  lay  out  his  own  views. 
Frequently  Roosevelt  would  say  cordially:  "Now,  that's 
true!  I  think  that,  too!  You  go  ahead  and  do  that 
just  as  you  say,  and  I  agree !" 

He  had  unlimited  enthusiasm  and  energy,  and  my 
father,  less  loudly  expressive,  had  the  latter  quality, 
combined  with  patience  his  colleague  was  glad  to  depend 
on  for  carrying  out  their  plans. 

My  father  was  fond  of  the  men  under  him — ^was  sym- 
pathetic to  the  dangers  incurred  in  their  work  and  to 
their  needs,  and  he  won  great  affection  from  them  in 
return.  He  eliminated  pitilessly  elements  which  were 
bad.  Both  graft  and  lack  of  courage  were  largely  sup- 
pressed, and  for  some  time  after  his  term  of  office  New 
York's  police  system  was  a  model.  The  men's  standards 
were  raised  to  a  point  that  made  the  force  a  credit  and 


170  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

drew  into  the  service  a  type  of  American  who  was  an 
honor  to  the  city. 

Years  later  I  remember  a  conversation  between  Roose- 
velt and  my  father  which  typified  the  former's  best  qual- 
ities as  I  recall  them.  He  had  become  President,  and 
Mr.  Elihu  Root  was  Secretary  of  War,  while  my  father 
had  an  important  army  command.  When  in  New  York 
the  President  stopped  across  the  street  from  us,  and  he 
occasionally  dropped  in  to  see  us  with  the  informality  of 
earlier  years.  We  were  at  dinner  when  the  door-bell  rang 
and  he  joined  us.  As  of  old,  he  was  soon  arguing  with 
my  father,  this  time  about  some  military  measure.  His 
animated  phrases  rapidly  followed  one  another,  yet  my 
father  differed. 

Finally  the  latter  said:  **Well,  Mr.  President,  why 
don't  you  consult  your  Secretary  of  War?  Perhaps 
I  am  prejudiced,  but  I  really  don't  agree  with  your 
point." 

**I  have,"  said  Roosevelt  with  impatience,  **and  he 
thinks  just  as  you  do;  that  is  why  I  came  to  you." 

**I'm  poor  comfort,  then,  for  I  don't  see  my  way  to 
changing  my  view  either."  "Well,  I'm  sorry,"  said  the 
President.  Then  he  added  with  a  mixture  of  admiration 
and  discouragement  all  his  own:  "The  trouble  is  that 
Elihu  Root  is  always  disagreeing  with  me,  and  he  is 
always  right !  I  suppose  now  I  will  have  to  go  and  do 
this  as  you  and  he  wish." 

Roosevelt  had  great  enough  talents  to  be  honest  in 
admitting  those  of  others,  and  he  seemed  always  ready 
to  act  on  information  from  people  who  were  expert  ad- 
visers. It  was  one  of  his  biggest  traits,  and  did  much,  I 
think,  to  add  to  his  reputation.  Also,  he  was  never 
sulky  or  obstinate  if  contradicted,  and  he  was  quick  to 
praise  others.     He  won  friendship  and  co-operation  by 


GOING  HOME  171 

this  attitude.  Altogether,  he  was  a  most  interesting 
personality. 

My  father's  work  became  more  and  more  serious,  and 
he  was  obliged  to  stay  in  the  city  even  through  the  sum- 
mer months.  My  mother  remained  with  him,  keeping 
our  house  open  and  fairly  comfortable  even  in  hot 
weather.  I  went  visiting  friends  in  the  environs,  where 
there  were  many  pleasant  house-parties.  Also  I  went 
much  to  West  Point.  There  my  father  loved,  with  my 
mother,  to  join  his  old  comrades  as  often  as  he  could. 
My  Atmt  and  Uncle  Palmer  had  a  cottage  for  two  simi- 
mers  at  Bar  Harbor,  and  they  took  me  there.  I  thought 
I  had  never  seen  any  scenery  more  lovely  than  Mount 
Desert  in  its  setting  of  blue  sea  and  sky,  and  I  loved  the 
life.  After  these  seasons  the  same  kind  relations  invited 
me  to  join  them  at  Newport,  and  I  made  my  d6but  in 
that  gay,  smart  resort,  where  I  had  a  lot  of  friends  al- 
ready among  the  New  York  group  of  merrymakers. 
Habits  then  were  simpler  than  they  became  later  at 
Newport,  and  we  were  a  crowd  of  carefree  youths,  who 
rode  and  picnicked,  or  went  out  crabbing  and  catboat- 
ing,  who  danced  and  dined,  played  golf  or  tennis,  as  the 
spirit  moved  us.  We  prided  ourselves  on  being  the 
joUiest  group  Newport  had  ever  seen,  and  we  loved  the 
place  and  our  healthful  life. 

I  remember  only  one  year  with  a  shadow — cast  on  our 
spirits  by  the  Spanish-American  War.  Already  in  the 
spring,  with  the  promise  of  war,  my  father  had  volun- 
teered his  services.  He  was  in  doubt  as  to  how  he  would 
be  used,  for  a  few  weeks  while  he  waited — meantime  he 
prepared  his  uniform  and  kit.  Our  house  was  full  of 
paraphernalia — saddle  and  harness,  uniforms,  arms,  and 
such — and  constantly  men  came  and  went  who  wanted 
my  father  to  join  one  or  another  of  the  volunteer  groups 


172  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

going  to  the  front.  He  refused  all  these  positions,  though 
he  helped  several  to  organize,  putting  his  old  army  ex- 
perience and  wisdom  at  their  service. 

Then  came  a  call  which  appealed  to  him.  A  hard- 
working infantry  regiment  of  the  National  Guard,  mod- 
est of  pretension  and  comparatively  poor  of  pocket,  sent 
him  a  delegation.  The  members  were  offering  them- 
selves in  a  tmit  to  our  government,  for  service  under  fire. 
They  decided  they  must  have  a  commander  who  was  of 
Regular  Army  training,  and  they  knew  my  father's  life. 
At  a  meeting,  the  day  before,  they  had  chosen  him — 
would  he  accept  ?  He  did  at  once,  and  for  a  few  days 
we  lived  in  a  turmoil  of  excitement,  for  no  sooner  had 
they  volunteered  than  the  government  ordered  them  out 
to  camp  on  Long  Island,  saying  that  after  two  weeks 
they  would  go  to  the  front. 

My  father  had  everything  he  needed  for  this  sudden 
departure  except  his  horse.  But  he  was  so  impatient  to 
start  and  to  be  with  his  regiment  from  the  first  moment, 
that  he  would  not  think  of  waiting  for  a  mount. 

"If  the  men  can  walk,  I  can,'*  he  said,  **and  these 
early  days  are  the  time  for  us  to  learn  to  know  one  an- 
other and  work  together.  They  aren't  experienced  yet, 
and  would  not  have  asked  me  to  command  them  if  they 
didn't  want  me  now." 

So  early  one  morning,  only  three  days  after  his  accep- 
tance of  this  call,  we  found  ourselves  in  Brooklyn  at  the 
armory  where  the  14th  Regiment  was  assembled,  ready 
to  march  forth. 

I  had  heard  much  of  war  and  fighting.  In  our  fam- 
ily circle  the  subject  was  among  those  most  frequently 
discussed,  but  this  was  my  first  experience  of  the  bustle 
of  departure,  of  running  messengers  and  quick  orders 
silently  obeyed.     It  was  also  the  first  I  had  seen  of  weep- 


GOING  HOME  173 

ing  women  and  girls,  of  children  held  close  for  consola- 
tion after  a  last  good-by  kiss.  Though  that  day's  trip 
was  to  be  but  a  few  miles  long,  and  we  had  hopes  of 
meeting  again  before  the  troops  sailed  for  serious  work, 
hearts  were  heavy  in  the  crbwd  of  little  family  groups. 
The  men  were  stepping  out  into  the  street  putting  their 
feet  on  a  road  of  which  the  end  was  invisible. 

A  command  or  two  rang  out.  I  did  not  recognize  my 
father's  voice.  I  had  never  heard  him  use  those  clear, 
ringing  tones  before;  and  then  he  walked  slowly  up  and 
down  the  lines,  glancing  over  the  rows  of  clean-looking 
young  chaps,  who  hardly  looked  like  amateur  soldiers. 
It  was  a  fine  regiment  of  men,  many  of  Scandinavian 
blood,  and  I  could  tell  from  my  father's  pleased  expression 
how  much  he  liked  them.  He,  himself,  had  not  been  in 
uniform  for  about  fifteen  years.  I  was  surprised  it  be- 
came him  so  well,  and  how  he  seemed  to  throw  off  the 
weight  of  time.  He  stood  trim  and  straight,  looking  his 
best,  alert  and  keen,  not  at  all  showing  his  forty-eight 
years.  It  was  the  beginning  of  a  new  career — ^not  at  all, 
as  he  thought,  a  military  incident — this  answering  to  the 
call  of  patriotism. 

Two  weeks  my  father  spent  with  these  men.  It  was 
hard  work  for  them  and  their  commander,  who  became 
very  proud  of  their  rapid  progress.  Then  he  was  ordered 
off  by  the  War  Department  to  a  training-camp  in  the 
South,  where  through  sizzling  summer  weather,  he  fought 
malaria  and  dysentery  and  trained  raw  yoimg  recruits. 
They  moved  on  rapidly  to  the  front,  where  he,  the  camp's 
commander,  longed  to  go.  He  suffered  a  short,  sharp 
attack  of  the  prevailing  malady,  but,  refusing  to  give  up 
his  work  for  a  trifle  like  ill  health,  he  continued  his  duties 
till  he  could  hardly  stand  and  the  doctors  said  he  was 
all  but  dying.     My  mother  was  wired  for.     Then,  after 


174  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

a  week  of  nursing,  my  father's  magnificent  physique 
answered  to  her  care,  and  he  was  back  in  camp  again. 
At  last,  late  in  the  summer,  came  the  much-desired 
orders  sending  him  to  the  front.  He  was  promoted  to 
the  rank  of  brigadier-general,  transferred  with  the  same 
rank  to  the  regular  army,  and  named  military  com- 
mander on  the  island  of  Porto  Rico. 

There,  interesting  occupations  and  many  curious  ex- 
periences were  my  father's  lot.  Propaganda  had  been 
made  against  Americans  by  the  Spanish,  and  he  had 
some  difficulty  in  persuading  the  natives  they  would  not 
be  punished  or  ill  treated  by  him.  When  good  feeling 
was  established  after  the  fighting,  many  natives  of  all 
classes  came  to  see  the  commander,  and  in  good  faith 
offered  him  bribes  for  this  or  that  advantage  over  a 
neighbor,  or  to  effect  the  loosening  of  various  rules  which 
he  had  made.  They  were  amazed  at  his  invariable 
refusal  either  to  meddle  in  their  relations  among  them- 
selves or  to  change  any  of  the  new  regulations,  so  one 
man  should  be  more  favored  than  another. 

When  his  peculiarities  as  compared  with  the  former 
administrators  on  the  island  were  finally  understood,  my 
father  suddenly  found  himself  very  much  appreciated  for 
his  honesty  and  loyal  ways,  and  was  frankly  compli- 
mented on  them.  He  brought  my  mother  down  to  the 
Porto  Rican  capital,  when  things  became  settled,  and  her 
talents  for  entertaining  completely  won  the  natives' 
hearts.  Both  my  parents  always  spoke  of  their  stay  on 
the  island  as  one  of  great  pleasure,  where  their  interests 
were  manifold  and  their  efforts  well  worth  while.  In 
spite  of  the  di'eadfully  hot  climate  and  the  insect  life  and 
snakes  which  had  to  be  fought  as  daily  enemies,  they 
loved  their  home  there,  it  seemed. 

At  Newport  through  that  summer  I  think  we  scarcely 


GOING  HOME  175 

felt  the  war,  though  sometimes  a  weary  man  would  come 
up  from  Washington  with  a  face  strained  by  sleeplessness 
and  fatigue.  He  generally  could  only  stay  twenty-four 
hours  to  rest  and  breathe  the  fine  air.  Certain  of  our 
ballroom  partners  were  missing,  we  noticed — ^gone  with 
the  Rough  Riders  generally. 

The  time  between  July,  1893,  and  September,  1898, 
had  passed  very  quickly,  and  my  girlhood  had  been  gay 
with  the  sunshine,  which  health  and  youth  and  a  family 
circle  without  serious  troubles  made.  Except  the  cloud 
of  the  short  war,  none  rose  on  my  horizon,  and  there  were 
only  problems  such  as  any  girl  must  face  who  is  compara- 
tively poor  in  a  circle  very  rich.  My  clothes  were  sim- 
pler than  those  round  me,  and  fewer  in  variety,  but  they 
were  pretty,  and  the  necessary  economy  about  them  and 
in  my  habits  made  me  perhaps  enjoy  my  pleasures  more. 
I  was  greatly  spoiled,  and  had  many  warm  friends  among 
my  contemporaries  of  both  sexes.  I  had  rather  a  broader 
life  than  most  of  these  young  people,  for  while  they  were 
kept  in  one  small  circle,  I  had  acquaintances  of  a  wider 
range  both  of  age  and  fame.  I  knew  and  met  my  father's 
friends  quite  often  in  our  own  home  and  outside,  and 
these  men  were  of  intense  interest  to  me,  as  was  the  work 
they  were  doing  in  civic  and  political  spheres. 

My  father  held  that  in  a  government  of  the  people, 
such  as  oiu-s  was,  all  must  take  a  share  of  responsibility 
and  effort.  He  set  an  example  in  this  matter.  He  was 
greatly  distressed  at  the  way  the  strong,  fine  elements  of 
the  coimtry,  and  especially  those  of  Anglo-Saxon  blood 
who  had  originated  its  ideals,  were  standing  back,  letting 
less  worthy  men  hold  power.  He  thought  those  who 
had  come  recently  to  our  shores,  though  ill  prepared  and 
needing  education,  were  vinduly  allowed  to  influence  our 
laws. 


176  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

He  hated  the  vice  and  sluggishness  which  had  crept 
into  public  Hfe,  poisoning  the  nation,  and  he  had  a  deep 
contempt  for  those  who — thinking  only  of  material  gain — 
left  all  national  affairs  to  men  lacking  in  patriotism. 
Never  did  he  lose  faith  or  patience,  and,  all  devotion  to 
his  coimtry,  he  never  felt  able  to  go  into  anything  merely 
for  his  own  advantage.  A  fortune  decidedly  modest 
satisfied  my  father,  but  though  he  preached  economy 
and  industry  to  his  children,  he  was  always  glad  to  give 
us  any  simple  healthful  pleasure,  and  was  our  best  edu- 
cator and  adviser. 

We  lived  much  for  one  another.  My  mother  was 
greatly  pleased  that  I  had  a  good  time  in  society,  where 
the  first  year  she  took  me  about  herself,  and  watched 
my  every  act  with  greatest  care.  Keeping  me  to  Euro- 
pean ways  by  her  constant  criticism  and  advice,  she  pre- 
vented my  being  too  much  spoiled  by  American  freedom. 
Afterward,  as  I  became  more  used  to  local  customs,  she 
allowed  me  to  attend  various  parties  where  only  young 
people  were  invited.  I  even  paid  some  visits  quite  alone. 
I  think  I  never  abused  my  liberty,  and  it  was  far  from 
that  of  other  American  girls  anyhow,  for  until  I  was 
engaged  I  never  received  a  note  or  letter  or  wrote  one 
which  my  mother  did  not  read.  She  and  my  father 
never  allowed  me  to  go  swimming  with  the  gay  free 
groups  of  boys  and  girls  I  knew,  or  to  ride  a  bicycle. 
Even  in  those  days  this  was  considered  exceptionally 
severe,  and  in  modem  times  it  soimds  impossible.  But 
I  was  so  used  to  giving  my  parents  absolute  obedience 
that  it  never  occurred  to  me  to  question  their  wishes  in 
such  matters. 

I  was  allowed  occasionally  to  drive  or  walk  with  cer- 
tain men  by  special  permission,  and  to  ride  horseback 
with  some  yoimg  cavalier  when  a  horse  was  available, 


V 


GOING  HOME  177 

but  I  was  never  permitted  to  invite  a  man  to  be  my  com- 
panion at  any  sport  or  even  to  call,  as  mama  thought 
that  pushing,  and  I  never  sat  out  a  dance.  All  this 
seemed  not  to  matter,  though,  and  I  had  a  beautiful  time 
in  New  York,  Washington,  and  Chicago.  I  renewed  my 
visits  to  my  aimt  in  the  latter  place  frequently  and  with 
great  happiness. 

Being  the  only  girl  of  my  generation  in  our  family,  I 
was  greatly  petted.  My  two  favorite  cousins  were  like 
dear  brothers,  my  four  bachelor  imcles,  all  yoimg,  gay, 
handsome,  and  fond  of  society,  made  a  delightful  group 
— ^half  beaux,  half  chaperons,  ready  always  to  bring  their 
friends  or  to  enjoy  anything  with  me.  My  uncle  and 
lovely  aunt  put  all  possible  pleasure  into  my  girlhood, 
too,  and  gave  me  much,  which  otherwise  our  own  lim- 
ited means  would  not  have  offered.  It  was  they  who 
gave  me,  as  one  man  said,  all  the  advantages  and  fun  of 
riches  without  the  disadvantages,  and  took  me  to  New- 
port or  Bar  Harbor  each  summer.  My  uncle,  grown  deli- 
cate with  advancing  years,  in  spite  of  many  aches  and 
ailments,  was  most  patient  with  my  frivolities,  and  even 
pretended  to  get  ftm  from  them.  Often  he  teased  me  over 
my  beaux.  He  called  them  by  amusing  names  which  he 
invented  to  suit  the  peculiarity  of  each,  and  he  con- 
stantly made  fun  of  me  and  my  never-ceasing  enjoy- 
ment. But  he  was  all  kindness  and  generosity,  and  he 
liked,  apparently,  to  see  us  youngsters  have  a  good  time. 
I  loved  to  talk  to  him  and  get  his  keen-witted  opinions. 
He  had  a  terse  intelligence  and  a  warm  appreciation  of 
all  that  was  strong  and  fine,  honest  or  beautiful  under 
the  foam  and  froth  of  the  summer  colony's  occupations, 
and  his  judgment  of  men  was  admirable  and  always 
thoroughly  to  be  trusted. 

My  aunt,  slim  and  graceful,  with  hair  grown  silvery 


178  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

white,  had  kept  her  freshness  and  seemed  more  beautiful 
than  ever.  She  went  about  a  great  deal,  and  was  the 
acknowledged  centre  of  any  gathering  where  she  ap- 
peared, while  her  wonderful  brain  and  gentle  nature  won 
her  exceptional  admiration.  Her  expression  was  always 
so  serene  and  gay,  that  I  instinctively  felt  the  quality  of 
her  nobility  of  soul  and  character.  To  be  with  her  was 
a  joy  and  a  great  privilege  to  me,  and  I  was  always 
happy  in  a  companionship  which  began  then  in  earnest 
and  stretched  on  through  my  life.  She  had  no  daughter, 
and  gave  me  something  of  the  affection  she  could  have 
lavished  on  one.  Besides,  she  had  a  talent  of  comrade- 
ship both  in  silence  and  in  talk,  which  made  her  presence 
an  ideal  one.  I  never  saw  her  cross,  selfish,  or  hard,  yet 
she  inspired  one  to  do  right,  through  suggestion  more 
felt  than  heard,  and  her  own  mind  was  so  quick,  bril- 
liant, and  unpretentious  with  it  all,  that  unconsciously 
one  flashed  the  light  back  and  was  at  one's  best.  A  rare 
woman,  whose  influence  carried  with  such  as  met  and 
knew  her,  even  long  after  she  died.  I  felt  a  deep  devo- 
tion for  her,  and  always  found  her  ready  sympathy  and 
imderstanding  a  great  comfort. 

Whenever  the  question  of  my  marrying  came  up,  I 
foimd  in  her  a  true  friend  whose  advice  was  easy  to  fol- 
low, as  it  coincided  with  my  own  ideas  of  what  was 
right.  I  was  grateful  that  in  spite  of  our  small  means  I 
was  not  pushed  into  a  ''brilliant  match,"  so  called. 

My  father  said  to  me  on  one  occasion:  "Little  sweet- 
heart, I  don't  want  you  to  get  married  at  all.  If  some 
day  there  is  a  really  fine  man,  and  you  feel  you  can't  do 
without  him,  then  I'll  be  resigned  to  lose  my  little  girl 
and  let  him  take  care  of  her;  but  remember,  life  is  a  com- 
plicated problem  at  best,  and  often  a  constant  struggle. 
So  one  ought  at  least  to  be  armed  for  it,  and  to  feel  that 


GOING  HOME  179 

whatever  comes,  even  if  health  and  wealth  should  blow 
away,  one  is  tied  to  a  man  whose  personality  is  enough 
to  fill  one's  horizon  with  real  values  which  are  worth  while. 
If  you  don't  find  a  man  like  that,  keep  your  liberty,  and 
stay  with  your  old  father,  who  loves  you,  too,  and  will 
take  care  of  you  always." 

So  I  had  no  weight  on  my  mind,  and  only  felt  joy  in 
going  about  in  society.  I  felt  no  interest  in  my  men 
friends  other  than  their  intrinsic  value  drew.  There 
was  an  advantage  in  keeping  a  worth-while  lot  of  hard- 
working young  fellows  and  older  men  about  me  who 
were  not  shy  about  joining  a  circle  where  their  feelings 
were  never  otherwise  interpreted  than  as  they  were 
meant.  Poor  men  were  received  at  our  house  with  the 
same  enthusiasm  as  were  richer  ones,  and  brought  their 
gifts  of  conversation  or  their  modest  prides  and  ambi- 
tions, always  sure  of  a  cordial  understanding  and  of  an 
atmosphere  of  recognition  for  their  quality. 

My  mother  and  father  generally  liked  my  friends,  and 
cultivated  them  with  pleasure,  and  father  enjoyed  im- 
mensely talking  with  what  he  called  nice  youngsters,  who 
always  wanted  to  spread  their  plans  out  and  ask  his 
advice,  whether  they  were  in  the  army  or  in  business. 
They  were  all  fond  of  my  parents,  and  often  in  the  years 
which  followed,  whenever  I  returned  to  America,  I  found 
many  agreeable  faces  of  men  I  had  known  in  youth  still 
gathered  about  my  old  home. 


CHAPTER  VII 
MONTHS  OF  TRAVEL 

IN  the  early  autumn  of  1898  my  mother  was  to  join 
my  father  in  Porto  Rico,  where  he  was  military  com- 
mander. She  did  not  want  to  take  me  with  her  for 
fear  of  the  climate  and  the  roughness  of  a  newly  conquered 
country.  Uncle  Palmer  had  passed  a  bad  summer  at 
Newport,  and  was  being  sent  abroad  by  his  doctors  to 
spend  the  time  of  cold  weather  on  the  Nile.  My  aunt 
was  taking  her  two  boys  along  for  a  year's  travel  be- 
fore they  settled  down  to  business.  They  had  just  grad- 
uated from  college.  The  Palmer  family  proposed  to  take 
me  abroad  with  them,  and  I  was  perfectly  enchanted 
when  my  mother  accepted  for  me.  There  was  a  great 
scrambling  to  prepare,  for  this  decision  was  reached  sud- 
denly. It  seemed  an  ideal  arrangement  to  me,  and  a 
unique  opportunity  of  seeing  places  and  things  as  yet  tm- 
known. 

London  we  were  only  to  pass  through;  in  Paris  we 
were  to  stop  for  some  time,  and  I  had  heard  much  of 
that  gay  capital,  but  had  never  been  there.  Then  we 
were  to  go  through  Italy,  land  in  Egypt,  and  after  our 
Nile  trip  we  expected  to  return  slowly  through  the  Holy 
Land  to  Constantinople,  and  from  there  through  Greece. 
I  had  not  dreamed  of  going  to  any  of  these  places,  and 
such  an  opportimity  coming  after  four  years  of  very  gay 
society  life  satisfied  a  desire  for  something  more  serious. 
It  was  a  party,  too,  after  my  own  heart,  because,  except 
for  my  imcle's  fragile  condition,  there  was  no  probability 
of  sadness.  We  were  five  congenial  souls  starting  out 
on  what  seemed  the  perfection  of  a  holiday. 

180 


MONTHS  OF  TRAVEL  181 

And,  indeed,  through  the  early  part  of  our  travels  all 
went  well.  Though  the  voyage  across  the  ocean  was 
stormy,  London  seemed  comfortable  and  agreeable,  to 
me;  much  more  so  viewed  from  the  ancient,  smart,  small 
hotel  we  stayed  in,  than  it  had  seemed  ten  years  pre- 
viously from  the  big  caravansary  we  then  inhabited. 
We  did  a  little  shopping,  mostly  for  the  men,  and  moved 
on  to  Paris,  where  we  scarcely  stopped,  so  anxious  were 
we  to  reach  the  southern  sunlight,  which  was  to  help  my 
imcle.  In  Rome  we  lingered  longer,  and  already  felt  the 
warmth  and  light  were  helping  him.  Roses  were  tum- 
bling over  the  walls  of  palaces  and  ruins.  Our  invalid 
liked  Rome  so  much  that  my  aunt  and  I  stayed  there 
with  him,  till  the  day  before  our  steamer  sailed  from 
Naples,  while  my  two  cousins  went  on  ahead  to  see  the 
latter  city  and  make  some  excursions. 

During  the  two  weeks  in  the  Italian  capital  we  were 
very  quiet,  driving  about  the  environs,  resting,  or  reading 
books  we  felt  would  prepare  our  minds  for  the  great 
deserts  and  the  Nile's  strange  beauty.  We  saw  no  one 
save  two  old  friends — Doctor  Nevin,  pastor  of  the  Ameri- 
can Chtirch,  and  Father  Farelly,  of  the  American  Catho- 
lic College.  Both  were  men  my  parents  knew,  and  most 
interesting  individuals.  Both  had  known  me  since  my 
childhood.  They  came,  and  came  again,  to  sit  with  my 
imcle,  my  atmt,  and  me,  and  the  invalid  greatly  enjoyed 
these  broad-minded,  imprejudiced  men  who  were  of  the 
world  as  well  as  of  rehgion,  with  brain,  soul,  and  body 
well  balanced.  They  were  pla3^ng  fine  r61es  and  work- 
ing hard  among  their  flocks. 

Nevin  had  been  a  young  soldier  tmder  my  grandfather 
in  the  Civil  War,  and  had  later  joined  the  church,  be- 
cause, he  said,  if  he  had  not  done  so  he  might  have  gone 
to  the  dogs,  he  had  so  many  faults.     He  was  a  militant 


182  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

churchman,  and  had  much  good  in  deed  and  word  to 
his  credit.  His  cultivation  and  fine  nature  made  him 
friends  and  admirers  among  the  rich  and  powerful,  whom 
he  exploited  without  scruple  for  those  htimbler  and 
poorer.  To  these  he  gave  also  most  of  his  own  salary. 
He  made  his  church  and  its  services  beautiful,  and  his 
own  home,  in  a  modest  but  quaint  old  house  near  by,  was 
as  attractive  as  was  the  man  himself. 

Scrupulously  clean,  with  whitewashed  walls  and  rough 
stone  stairs,  the  entrance-hall  of  the  simple  rectory  was 
quite  empty.  One  climbed  to  rooms  unlike  any  others  I 
have  ever  seen,  for  there  was  no  single  note  of  decoration 
in  them;  high,  bare,  whitewashed  walls,  a  big  fireplace, 
where  burned  a  log;  a  huge  desk  in  a  sunny  comer;  two 
or  three  tables  of  old  Italian  workmanship  of  good 
period,  and  several  stiff  wooden  chairs.  On  the  tables 
lay  bits  of  Renaissance  brocade,  adding  dull  notes  of 
color;  and  a  few  books,  some  old,  some  modem,  were 
scattered  about.  The  rooms  were  lighted  deliciously, 
with  ancient  Roman  lamps  burning  oil,  and  the  whole 
atmosphere  seemed  classic  and  austere.  There  was  one 
note  of  comfort  only — on  each  side  of  the  fire  was  a 
leather  chair,  low,  deep,  and  inviting,  with  between  them 
the  splendid  fur  of  some  forest  king  which  Nevin's  gun 
had  killed.  Many  a  multimillionaire  spent  an  hour  in 
one  of  those  armchairs,  talking  of  what  good  he  might 
do  to  his  fellows,  guided  by  his  host's  wise  advice,  and 
many  a  sad  man  or  woman  tmburdened  there  a  weighted 
soul  or  conscience,  and  went  away  comforted. 

Doctor  Nevin  was  wise  in  his  generation.  He  knew 
well  when  to  aid  or  support,  and  when  to  reproach  his 
visitors.  He  was  also  a  delightful  friend  with  whom  to 
tarry  an  hour  in  the  restful  surroundings  created  out  of 
so  little.     Beyond,   there  was  a  dining-room  where  six 


MONTHS  OF  TRAVEL  183 

could  eat  and  where  the  meal  prepared  and  served  by  his 
single  old  servant  was  as  short,  simple,  and  excellent  as 
all  the  rest.  Another  and  larger  room  of  the  rectory  he 
called  his  musetim.  It  was  full  of  a  wonderful  collection 
of  heads  and  skins,  for  Nevin  was  one  of  the  five  or  six 
best  shots  in  the  world,  and  had  explored  the  Americas, 
Asia,  Africa,  and  Europe  in  his  occasional  vacations, 
bringing  back  trophies  which  thrilled  the  huntsmen  of 
his  acquaintance,  and  even  many  who  were  imknown  to 
him.  He  was  an  admirable  horseman,  too,  and  knew 
his  Rome  better  than  did  most,  having  lived  there  thirty 
years.  Nevin  loved  both  its  art  and  history,  as  well  as 
its  humanity,  with  all  his  heart. 

Monseigneur  Farelly  had  the  charm  and  brilliancy  of 
Celtic  blood,  plus  American  training  and  long  discipline 
controlling  it.  He  was  tall,  strong,  very  handsome,  with 
distinction  both  of  manner  and  expression,  and  he  also 
loved  Rome,  where  he  had  been  many  years.  When  I 
went  there  a  child  with  my  parents  he  had  escorted  us 
through  the  Vatican  museum,  and  his  enthusiastic  words 
had  made  us  forget  time  and  space.  With  age  he  had 
but  mellowed,  and  his  sunny  Christianity,  sense  of 
humor,  and  kindly  understanding  won  all  who  met  him. 
He  went  little  into  society,  as  he  was  a  hard  worker  and 
a  specialist  at  education,  but  his  influence  at  the  Vatican 
was  great,  his  judgment  very  sure,  and  the  friends  he 
cultivated  in  relaxation  appreciated  his  presence  among 
them  as  an  honor.  His  rapid  career  was  no  surprise  to 
us.  Once  or  twice  he  or  Nevin  dined  with  us  in  the  res- 
taurant of  the  Grand  Hotel. 

Nearly  all  Rome's  smart  people  frequented  this  place, 
among  the  earliest  of  its  kind  to  open  in  Europe.  There 
were  many  beautiful  women  and  famous  men  sitting 
about  on  one  occasion  I  remember,  and  the  soft  lights 


184  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

and  pretty  music  added  their  attractions  to  the  scene. 
Nevin  knew  every  one  worth  knowing,  and  as  he  bowed 
he  would  tell  me  who  they  were. 

The  Duchess  Graziolli,  famous  for  her  successes  and 
elegance,  who  was  in  her  prime,  was  the  star  of  a 
party;  Lady  Randolph  Churchill,  still  lovely  in  spite  of 
her  fifty  or  more  years,  with  a  long  career  yet  to  run, 
was  the  centre  of  another  group,  and  there  were  many 
others  famous  for  their  looks.  In  one  comer  a  large 
table  was  surrounded  by  young  men,  the  jeunesse  doree 
of  the  diplomatic  corps,  said  my  guide.  It  seems  they 
"messed**  here,  and  regularly  had  the  same  table,  where 
they  came  to  look  over  those  present.  They  appeared  a 
well-groomed  set  of  men,  seemed  to  talk  gaily,  and  they 
came  and  went  informally,  laughing,  jesting,  nodding, 
known  at  many  a  table,  where  pretty  faces  lighted  as 
salutations  were  exchanged.  It  was  an  agreeable  impres- 
sion of  modem  Rome  we  gazed  at,  grafted  on  the  won- 
ders of  its  ruins  and  history,  which  for  the  moment  pink 
silk  curtains  shut  out  into  a  December  night.  I  was 
very  much  pleased  when  my  aunt  said:  "Mr.  Palmer  and 
I  like  Rome  so  much  and  he  is  feeling  so  much  better, 
that  we  are  almost  sorry  to  be  leaving.  Perhaps  when 
the  trip  is  over,  on  our  way  northward,  we  may  stop  here 
again." 

"Do  that,  and  I  will  show  you  all  the  sights  and  be 
your  cicerone.  As  for  you,  young  lady,  I'm  your  father's 
— even  your  grandfather's — old  friend;  so  I'm  going  to 
claim  the  privilege  of  my  gray  hair  and  take  you  riding 
with  me  all  over  the  Campagna.  Who  doesn't  loiow  it 
from  a  horse's  back,  at  the  hours  of  slanting  shadows  and 
purple  skies,  hasn't  at  all  been  initiated  here." 

This  from  Nevin,  and  I  was  glad  to  think  of  the  plea- 
sures in   store   in   such   delightful   company.     The   old 


PRINCESS  CANTACUZfeNE,  1907. 


MONTHS  OF  TRAVEL  185 

sportsman  was  an  escort  worth  having  and  something  of 
an  autocrat  whom  women  usually  tried  to  please. 

"If  you  think  me  too  old  a  beau,  you  may  invite  any 
one  over  at  that  table  of  smart  youngsters  to  go,  too. 
I'm  as  good  a  chaperon  as  I  am  a  guide;  youll  see.'* 

We  went  away  a  few  days  later,  and  in  the  back  of 
my  head  was  a  vague  question,  whether  Rome  was  not 
too  agreeable  and  beautiful  to  be  leaving  for  still  more 
ancient  places. 

The  Mediterranean  was  blue  but  rough,  and  we  were 
glad  to  wake  one  morning  to  the  clamor  of  an  unknown 
tongue,  the  splashing  of  oars,  and  the  bimiping  of  small 
boats.  Our  cabins  were  steady  again.  We  dressed  and 
packed  in  haste  and  were  soon  ready  to  land.  It  is  quite 
useless  to  describe  Oriental'  light  and  atmosphere  to  those 
who  have  not  seen  it,  while  such  as  have,  know  without 
description  its  intense,  luminous  qualities.  I  loved  it 
from  the  moment  I  emerged  on  the  deck  of  our  small  ship, 
and  my  enthusiasm  grew  steadily  through  days  of  tur- 
quoise skies  and  tawny  deserts.  Aside  from  the  scenery, 
with  the  strange,  mysterious  figures  moving  on  its  back- 
groimd,  carrying  a  weight  of  traditions  thousands  of 
years  old — ^aside  from  our  delicious,  lazy  luxury  of  life,  I 
loved  the  East,  as  I  saw  it  there  in  Egypt,  just  for  the 
splendor  of  its  opalescent  sunset  each  day,  and  the  mar- 
vels of  its  sapphire  nights.  One  waited  with  impatience 
for  the  renewal  of  the  pageant  of  light  and  color,  and 
each  time  one's  powers  of  enjoyment  were  greatly  taxed. 
One  felt  strained  with  sensations.  No  wonder  people 
bom  in  such  surroundings  worshipped  the  stm-god  and 
the  Nile ! 

In  Cairo  we  did  much  that  was  amusing.  The  restau- 
rant and  terrace  at  Shepherd's  were  as  pictiuresque  as 
any  "  revue's  "  stage,  with  their  mass  of  inharmonious  hu- 


186  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

manity  running  over  the  latter's  edge  into  the  streets. 
There  were  smart  women  come  to  winter  there,  painted 
and  bedecked  with  jewels  and  fine  clothes,  in  latest  Paris 
style;  smart  English  officers  in  every  sort  of  uniform, 
from  those  returning  worn  and  shabby  from  the  Upper 
Nile,  bound  on  a  short  vacation,  to  those  just  come  from 
London  ready  for  their  work;  Turkish  officials,  and  Egyp- 
tians in  uniform  or  in  frock  coats  with  turban  or  red  fez; 
natives  in  national  silks;  Bedouins,  camels,  peasants, 
donkeys,  French  nurses,  babies,  negroes;  veiled  women, 
dignified  and  silent,  with  lovely  eyes;  push-carts  and 
European  shops;  blue  beads  and  false  antiques;  old  rugs, 
fine  arms,  and  poor  imitations;  cool  drinks,  warm  tea; 
Vienna  waltzes,  Sousa  two-steps,  both  played  by  orches- 
tras of  crashing  military  brass;  shrill  voices  squabbling; 
small  gray  animals  of  burden  braying;  finally,  now  and 
then,  if  an  interval  occurred  in  the  din,  one  heard  the 
soft  chant  of  a  muezzin  from  some  towering  minaret, 
calling  to  prayer  the  prophet's  faithftd  people.  All  these 
impressions,  crowded  on  one's  senses,  made  one  dizzy. 

Sometimes  we  had  a  clear  view  of  a  group  or  a  single 
figure.  Thrice  we  had  rather  rare  experiences.  I  went 
one  day  by  chance  into  a  mosque,  where  the  proportions 
were  superb  and  the  soft  gray  of  carved  and  perforated 
stone  stood  cool  against  the  burning  noonday  sky.  Here 
and  there,  at  some  point  of  vantage  architecturally,  a 
mosaic  in  gilt  or  in  bright  color  reflected  the  soft  light 
which  penetrated  there.  Standing  about  were  a  num- 
ber of  noble  figures,  tall  and  solemn,  in  long,  straight 
draperies  or  smoothly  moving  in  genuflections;  then  with 
their  foreheads  on  the  floor  they  were  prostrate  in  prayer 
or  deep  in  meditation. 

My  cousin  had  two  letters  of  introduction,  one  to  a 
native  newspaper  man,  the  other  to  an  Egyptian  sheik, 


MONTHS  OF  TRAVEL  187 

and  both  these  men  were  very  kind  to  us.  After  calls 
had  been  exchanged,  they  invited  us,  the  one  to  dinner 
and  the  other  to  his  daughter's  wedding  reception.  Both 
these  feasts  were  exceedingly  interesting,  and  to  our 
European  eyes  had  their  amusing  side.  The  dinner  was 
the  most  difficult  social  experience  I  ever  had,  for  my 
aimt  and  I  were  included  in  the  invitation,  and  accepted, 
though  we  were  told,  of  course,  the  ladies  of  the  host's 
harem  could  not  appear,  since  gentlemen  would  be  pres- 
ent. When  we  arrived  at  the  party  we  were  first  ushered 
into  a  room  indescribably  hideous.  Harsh  blue  damask 
was  stretched  on  the  walls,  and  two  long  mirrors  framed 
in  rich,  shiny,  ugly  gold  frames  hung  opposite  each  other. 
Coarse,  stiff  lace  with  damask  curtains  over  it  hung 
straight  down  at  the  windows,  and  a  heavy  French  clock, 
of  the  worst  workmanship  and  period,  stood  beneath  a 
glass  globe  cover,  before  one  of  the  mirrors  on  an  other- 
wise empty  shelf.  Round  the  room  was  a  row  of  bent 
Vienna  wood,  cane-seated  chairs,  and  at  one  end  stood  a 
table  of  the  same  workmanship,  with  a  thin  white  mar- 
ble top;  such  a  table  as  one  sees  on  the  sidewalk  in  front 
of  a  cafe.  It  was  about  three-quarters  of  a  yard  in 
diameter  and  was  imcovered.  It  seemed  an  accident 
among  the  other  furnishings.  We  had  been  there  a  few 
moments,  and  had  thrown  off  our  wraps,  when  my  cous- 
ins came  in  from  the  outside  hallway,  and  with  them  our 
host  and  several  other  men — seven  or  eight  in  all.  We 
women  had  worn  high  gowns,  as  we  did  not  want  to 
offend  Oriental  ideals  and  habits  more  than  we  could 
help.  For  a  few  minutes  we  conversed  through  an  in- 
terpreter with  the  master  of  the  house,  and  discovered 
that  the  other  guests  were  his  brother,  his  son,  his  secre- 
tary, his  son-in-law,  and  so  on.  It  seemed  a  clannish 
party.     We  spoke  of  Egypt's  beauty,  of  the  building  up 


188  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

of  the  country,  and,  except  that  they  all  flashed  a  little 
when  the  Turkish  officials  and  English  administration 
were  mentioned,  the  whole  conversation  seemed  dull  and 
rather  flat;  but  they  were  pleased  with  our  enthusiasm 
over  the  beauty  and  picturesque  qualities  of  Cairo. 

Soon  servants  brought  in  trays  of  things.  The  little 
table  had  a  circle  of  chairs  put  round  it,  enough  for  nine 
or  ten  of  us,  and  we  sat  down  elbow  to  elbow,  about  a 
yard  off  from  the  table,  which  became  an  island  in  our 
midst.  My  aimt  and  I  were  placed  side  by  side.  The  in- 
terpreter sat  next  her,  and  then  the  host,  and  on  my  left 
was  one  of  the  relations,  who  spoke  a  little  feeble  French. 
Soup  came  in  cups,  and  though  to  us  it  had  no  taste,  we 
drank  it;  then  there  was  a  dish  of  something  like  fish 
which — ^put  on  the  table,  where  a  pile  of  plates  and  a 
handful  of  forks  were  laid  as  well — had  to  be  eaten.  I 
think  I  remember  some  potatoes  in  another  dish,  also  a 
quantity  of  bread — a  mountain  of  slices.  My  aunt  was 
invited  to  help  herself,  then  I,  and  we  did,  with  a  fork 
and  plate  of  otu:  own  choosing.  We  took  the  plates  on 
our  laps  and  ate.  There  were  no  napkins,  so  we  used 
our  handkerchiefs.  I  remember  cool  water  was  brought 
in  thick,  cloudy  goblets,  which  stood  in  a  row  on  the 
table's  edge. 

We  had  soon  finished,  and  so  had  the  Egyptians. 
They  ate  in  silence,  with  evident  fear  of  the  forks  and 
great  expenditure  of  effort.  They  watched  us,  and  I 
decided  it  was  the  first  time  they  had  tried  such  instru- 
ments, which,  with  the  table  and  chairs,  must  have  been 
introduced  for  our  special  benefit.  When  a  lamb,  almost 
whole,  boiled  with  rice  and  covered  with  watery  sauce, 
was  brought  in  on  a  great  platter,  they  gave  up  and 
frankly  used  their  fingers,  helped  by  bread.  This  dish 
had  a  sweetish,  sickening  flavor,  and  seemed  loathsome 


MONTHS  OF  TRAVEL  189 

to  my  Western  palate,  but  to  the  Egyptians  it  was  obvi- 
ously excellent,  and  we  pretended  to  enthusiasm  and  ate 
a  little  just  to  seem  reasonably  polite.  A  sweet  dish 
followed.  I  had  a  fleeting  idea  that  it  must  have  been 
prepared  in  the  same  pan  as  had  been  the  meat,  but  a 
little  of  this  also  had  to  be  forced  down  our  throats — and 
then  came  on  fragrant  Turkish  coffee,  served  in  little 
cups.  That,  at  least,  was  perfect.  Conversation  lan- 
guished. The  natives  probably  suffered  as  we  did  in 
attempting  foreign  fashions  they  disliked.  We  were  all 
glad  the  feast  was  ended,  and  after  a  number  of  com- 
pliments had  been  exchanged  we  took  our  departure. 
For  twenty-four  hours  we  felt  quite  miserable,  and  even 
now  a  certain  sickly  smell  of  cooked  lamb  and  sometimes 
the  taste  of  it  turns  me  pale,  while  I  fancy  those  natives 
swore  never  to  touch  forks  nor  perch  on  chairs  again. 

The  other  entertainment  I  saw  was  much  more  pic- 
turesque and  interesting.  My  aunt  and  I,  with  the  two 
cousins,  drove  through  narrow  streets  in  the  old  part  of 
the  city  one  evening,  and  stopped  our  landau  at  the  en- 
trance of  a  large,  important-looking  building.  There  we 
descended,  and  on  foot  went  into  a  courtyard,  where  ev- 
ery sign  of  a  great  function  was  visible.  There  were  rugs 
and  silks  spread  on  the  walls  and  ground  or  making  cano- 
pies, stretched  on  poles  and  columns.  There  were  cush- 
ions and  small,  low  tables;  some  higher  tables,  too,  with 
Western  chairs.  There  were  men  in  Oriental  uniforms 
and  flowing  robes,  others  in  the  official  frock  coat  with 
red  fez.  Native  musicians  were  playing  vague,  wailing 
music.  Attendants  moved  about,  serving  food.  The 
scene  was  rich  and  beautiful,  a  nice  background  for  some 
of  the  handsome,  swarthy  faces.  The  weird  lighting  of 
lanterns  and  torches  heightened  all  effects  as  they  flared 
or  lowered  again.     It  looked  to  me  as  if  confusion  reigned. 


190  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

probably  only  because  my  Western  eyes  were  used  to  a 
different  style  of  entertainment. 

Some  one  who  seemed  to  be  a  master  of  ceremonies 
greeted  us,  and  then,  turning  our  escorts  over  to  his  aids, 
he  showed  my  aunt  and  me  to  a  staircase,  where  he 
mounted  a  short  flight.  We  followed.  A  door  opened 
ahead,  and  we  saw  we  were  in  the  harem  of  the  sheik. 
We  were  at  once  introduced  to  his  oldest  and  first  wife. 
She  was  an  old  wife  of  the  Khedive's  brother,  we  after- 
ward heard,  whom  the  latter  had  passed  on  to  his  friend 
as  a  special  mark  of  favor  1  A  small  white-haired  woman 
with  gray  eyes  and  a  face  still  yotmg,  good  feattues  and 
a  clever  expression,  she  evidently  held  all  present  in 
respect,  as  she  bustled  about  giving  orders  which  were 
promptly  obeyed.  Through  an  interpreter  she  told  us 
the  marriage  ceremony  was  over,  and  now  was  the  enter- 
tainment, but  soon  the  bridegroom  would  come  and 
fetch  his  bride,  to  take  her  home.  He  had  never  seen 
his  wife  yet.  Refreshments  were  given  us  and  the  old 
lady  asked  us  to  be  seated. 

The  room  was  large  and  as  garish  as  possible.  It  was 
in  blue,  of  French  taste,  in  a  bad  epoch,  overcrowded  with 
miscellaneous  furniture,  ornaments,  and  junk.  Such 
rooms  seemed  the  height  of  fashion  in  Cairo.  Cushions 
were  strewn  all  over  the  floor,  himdreds  of  them,  and  on 
these  lounged  a  lot  of  women,  old  or  young,  but  all  heavy 
and  dark.  Most  of  them  had  big  brown  eyes  and  pretty 
hands;  otherwise  they  were  ugly,  and  their  looks  were 
not  improved  by  their  wearing  Paris-fashioned  frocks 
without  stays.  It  made  them  seem  bunchy  and  im- 
graceful.  They  talked  among  themselves,  smoked  cig- 
arettes, ate  sweets,  and  they  looked  at  the  bride  and  evi- 
dently chattered  about  her.  The  latter  sat  apart,  a 
gentle-faced  young  creature,   as  Itmipy  as  the  others. 


MONTHS  OF  TRAVEL  191 

Some  finely  mounted  old  jewels  sparkled  on  her  fancy, 
absurd  frock. 

The  room  seemed  in  great  disorder,  and  the  things 
standing  about  included  a  sewing-machine,  a  music-box, 
a  piano,  gilt  clocks  and  candelabra,  boxes  of  candy, 
dishes,  and  so  on.  There  were  some  soft,  comfortable 
chairs  and  sofas,  covered  with  damask.  The  curtains 
were  drawn  and  the  atmosphere  was  stuffy. 

We  divided  general  attention  with  the  bride.  For  a 
time  especially  our  clothes  were  of  interest,  but  the  old 
lady  was  the  only  one  who  talked  to  us.  She  was  fre- 
quently interrupted.  It  was  not  very  satisfactory  con- 
versation, and  we  never  got  beyond  the  first  polite 
nothings. 

Soon  there  was  a  stir.  A  great  noise  on  the  staircase 
announced  the  groom.  He  was  ushered  in  by  eunuchs, 
and  came  forward,  led  by  our  hostess  toward  the  young 
bride.  All  the  other  women  jumped  up  and  surrounded 
them.  It  was  impossible  to  follow  fiuther  movements 
amid  their  din  of  laughing,  crying,  talking,  and  excitement. 
My  aunt  whispered  to  me  she  thought  we  ought  to  leave 
them  to  their  family  party,  so  we  worked  our  way  to  the 
door,  and  foimd  our  own  companions  below,  wondering 
how  they  could  signal  us  and  quite  ready  to  return  to  the 
hotel.  I  got  a  curious  feeling  as  to  the  dull  sloth  and 
emptiness  of  these  Orientals'  lives,  and  I  was  glad  when 
we  left  the  hectic  capital  and  started  up  the  Nile  on  our 
pretty  steam  yacht  Nitocris. 

We  had  visited  the  pyramids  by  moonlight  and  made 
various  other  charming  excursions,  but  Cairo  and  Alex- 
andria did  not  hold  my  enthusiasm  after  the  first  days. 
The  rest  of  the  trip  was  a  wonderful  experience,  of  pretty 
villages  and  bazaars,  of  imposing  ruins,  and  especially  of 
the  dignified,  graceful  natives,  walking  with  swinging, 


19«  MY  LIF15,  HEIIE  AND  THERE 

heavy  draperies,  carrying  jars  or  baskets  on  their  heads. 
Donkeys  and  donkey-boys,  who  were  like  imps  of  bronze, 
accompanied  us.  Their  tales  were  always  false  but  most 
amusing,  and  we  loved  the  excursions  we  made  each 
second  day.  On  the  day  between  we  moved  up  the 
broad  river,  with  its  long-drawn-out  panorama  of  beau- 
tiful shapes  and  colors  either  side  of  us.  The  land's  pic- 
turesque value  and  the  lovely  lines  of  sails  about  us  were 
a  real  joy.  Our  crew  w^as  enough  to  inspire  an  artist, 
and  there  was  material  for  many  a  picture  in  their  poses 
as  they  ate  their  food,  or  bent  and  rose  to  say  their 
prayers  out  on  the  decks.  We  were  a  congenial  party, 
all  of  us  delighted  by  our  trip  save  my  poor  uncle,  who 
was  growing  steadily  worse  instead  of  better,  and  whose 
condition  gave  us  much  anxiety. 

Finally,  on  our  return  to  Cairo,  after  the  classic  tour  to 
the  First  Cataract  and  back,  we  sadly  gave  up  the  rest 
of  our  contemplated  journey,  and  took  the  first  steamer 
for  Brindisi.  We  hurried  to  Rome,  where  my  uncle 
remembered  being  comfortable,  and  where  he  liked  the 
doctors.  We  reached  there  just  in  time,  for  on  our 
arrival  the  invalid  took  to  his  bed,  and  various  medical 
lights  were  called  in  to  his  aid.  They  said  there  was  no 
danger,  that  he  would  be  better  soon,  but  he  was  too 
fragile  to  go  farther  north  for  some  little  time,  and  he 
must  be  kept  quiet.  My  aunt  devoted  nearly  all  her 
time  to  him,  only  occasionally  making  herself  free  to  go 
out  with  us  of  an  evening.  In  Rome  I  could  not  run 
about  only  with  my  cousins,  as  at  home.  I  was  left, 
however,  with  much  time  on  my  hands  during  the  day, 
and  as  I  had  been  too  young  to  remember  much  of  my 
sightseeing  with  my  parents,  I  decided  to  take  this  up 
qmte  seriously  again.  We  would  have  a  month  in  the 
Eternal  City,  at  least,  and  I  meant  to  enjoy  it. 


CHAPTER  VIII 
ROMAN  GAIETIES 

ROME'S  gay  carnival  season  was  at  its  height  and 
we  had  not  been  there  many  days  when  old  friends 
of  my  parents  and  aunt  found  us  out.    Soon  our 
evenings  were  filled  with  charming  parties. 

I  made  friends  with  some  young  people,  among  whom 
were  nearly  all  those  gilded  youths  whom  I  had  seen  din- 
ing at  the  Grand  Hotel  in  December,  and  of  whom  Doc- 
tor Nevin  had  told  me.  Limches,  dinners,  soir6es,  and 
balls  followed  each  other.  We  were  even  asked  to  a 
small  afternoon  reception  and  tea  by  the  Queen-Mother, 
a  beautiful,  graceful  woman  with  delightful  manners, 
who  already  knew  my  aunt  and  my  parents.  We  also 
went  to  a  court  ball,  which  was  well  done  in  every  way 
and  very  pleasant,  though  not  possessing  the  quaint  his- 
toric and  picturesque  qualities  of  the  Hapsburg  court 
functions.  In  general  one  gathered  that  Roman  society 
was  new  and  cosmopolitan,  having  nothing  much  in  com- 
mon with  its  ancient  background's  rare  beauty.  Ameri- 
cans, English,  and  Russians  camped  out  in  magnificent 
palaces  and  gave  rich  fetes  in  them,  but  they  did  not  fit 
into  their  surroimdings.  Even  at  court,  the  halls  were 
comparatively  modem,  and  the  mixed  crowds  lacked 
something  of  Vienna's  old-time  dignity.  Yet  the  King 
and  Queen  were  popular  and  very  agreeable.  People 
wore  fine  clothes  and  jewels,  and  to  us  the  good  music 
and  floor  appealed  strongly. 

It  seemed  complicated  to  keep  track  of  the  families 
who  belonged  to  the  White,  or  royal,  party,  and  those 
who  had  remained  faithful  to  the  Black  traditions  of  the 

193 


194  MY  LIFE,  HEEE  AND  THERE 

Vatican,  though  I  noticed  feeling  still  ran  high,  and  of 
the  older  generations,  members  of  the  two  groups  scarcely 
ever  met  or  mixed. 

The  most  interesting  experience  we  had  was  to  assist 
at  a  high  mass  celebrated  in  gala  robes  by  the  Pope  in 
person.  L6o  XIII  was  then  very  old,  and  had  not  for 
some  time  appeared  at  any  fimction,  but  we  were  given 
tickets  for  a  mass  in  the  Sistine  Chapel,  and  accepted.  I 
was  anxious  to  see  the  chtirch  in  all  its  splendor,  and  to 
hear  the  famous  choir.  Besides,  it  was  rumored  that  if 
he  was  well  enough  His  Holiness  was  to  appear,  though 
no  one  counted  on  this.  In  black,  with  lace  mantillas  on 
our  heads  according  to  etiquette,  we  went  early.  On  the 
threshold  of  the  papal  palace  I  was  seized  by  the  feeling 
of  a  fairy-tale  being  acted  for  my  benefit.  The  staircase, 
always  magnificent,  was  lined  with  Swiss  guardsmen 
dressed  in  costumes  designed  by  Michael  Angelo.  On 
the  streets  one  would  have  taken  them  for  crazy  mas- 
queraders,  but  on  this  backgroimd,  for  which  it  was 
designed,  the  dress  of  the  Renaissance  was  quite  appro- 
priate in  its  gorgeousness.  The  chamberlains  and  gen- 
tlemen in  waiting,  the  monsignori  in  purple,  and  the  car- 
dinals in  crimson,  the  priests  and  officers  of  the  papal 
household  in  their  uniforms,  were  all  so  much  necessary 
color  against  the  finely  proportioned  gray  stone  walls. 
In  the  chapel  the  light  was  dim  and  beautiful,  and  the 
frescoes  rich  and  dignified.  We  took  our  places,  and 
after  a  short  wait  the  rumor  circulated  and  was  soon 
confirmed  that  His  Holiness  would  himself  celebrate 
mass. 

Soon  after  this  we  heard  a  distant  chanting,  which  an- 
nounced the  coming  of  the  procession.  Prelates  of  rank, 
brains,  and  distinction  made  up  the  larger  part  of  it. 
Chief  among  them  the  thin,  sharp  features  and  the  keen, 


ROMAN  GAIETIES  195 

shining  eyes  of  Monsignor  Merry  del  Val  stood  out,  dark 
and  powerful.  Great  things  were  predicted  of  the  young 
Spaniard,  and  I  was  interested  to  see  how  he  had  devel- 
oped. I  had  known  him  in  Vienna,  where  as  a  young 
student  preparing  to  take  orders  he  came  sometimes  to 
visit  his  father,  then  Spanish  Ambassador  to  the  Haps- 
burg  court.  Now  his  father  was  transferred  to  the  Vati- 
can, and  many  were  the  tales  circulating  of  the  Pope's 
reliance  on  this  son. 

As  the  chanting  and  music  reached  their  zenith,  came 
the  Pope,  surrounded  by  his  intimate  court.  Seated  on 
a  throne,  which  I  am  sure  he  owed  to  Michael  Angelo's 
genius  or  to  Cellini's,  His  Holiness  was  borne  high  above 
the  congregation's  heads,  and  about  him  were  carried 
various  emblems  and  banners.  Six  or  eight  huge  fans  of 
splendid  white  ostrich  plumes  were  also  held  on  each 
side  of  his  throne,  waving  gently  and  catching  the  light 
of  himdreds  of  tapers.  The  shrivelled  figure  and  face  of 
His  Holiness,  moving  along  high  up  in  the  uncertain 
light,  looked  pure  almost  to  transparency.  High-bred, 
intellectual,  worn  with  fasting  and  with  age,  the  face 
was  one  of  great  nobility  in  repose.  He  turned  slowly 
from  side  to  side  to  bless  the  crowd  of  his  children,  who 
looked  toward  him  with  reverence.  All  in  white,  he 
caught  the  light  and  seemed  surrounded  by  a  halo. 

Both  then  and  afterward,  as  he  drew  himself  to  his 
full  height  at  some  point  in  the  service,  hand  and  arm 
raised  in  benediction,  one  was  struck  with  the  sublimity 
of  his  ethereal  presence.  It  was  the  very  spirit  of  religion 
come  to  life,  and  not  for  long,  for  the  old  man  looked 
very  frail.  I  believe  this  was  his  last  public  appearance. 
It  was  a  very  grand  one,  for  the  music  and  surroundings, 
as  well  as  that  picked  crowd  of  devotees,  seemed  all 
worthy  of  the  central  figure.     Somehow  I  felt  the  Church 


196  MY  LIFE.  HERE  AND  THERE 

of  Rome,  in  this  Pope's  person,  gained  in  spiritual  beauty 
what  it  had  lost  in  luxury  and  power  since  earlier  days. 

Doctor  Nevin  had  been  as  good  as  his  word,  and  had 
arranged  a  fine  mount  for  me  to  wander  over  the  Cam- 
pagna  in  his  pleasant  company.  He  was  as  perfect  a 
guide  as  elsewhere  my  father  had  been,  and  he  knew  his 
subject  and  loved  it  so  well,  that  I  was  never  weary  of 
his  talk  of  the  ruins  we  saw,  or  the  villages  and  villas  we 
visited.  Often  we  went  together  in  the  delightful  tete-^- 
t6te  of  old  and  sympathetic  comradeship,  and  though  we 
were  many  years  apart  in  age,  we  grew  to  be  warm 
friends.  Sometimes  my  cousins  came  on  these  excursions, 
and  little  by  little  various  others  were  asked  to  join  our 
party,  till  it  grew  into  a  large  one,  keen  for  the  pleasures 
Nevin  arranged  so  well. 

There  were  three  or  four  young  men  among  the  diplo- 
mats I  had  met  who  were  especially  polite  about  accom- 
panying us  on  these  picnics,  and  who,  besides,  felt  it  their 
duty  to  invent  other  sightseeing  expeditions  in  and  about 
the  city,  visiting  with  us  palaces  or  museums.  One  of 
these,  a  Russian,  was  only  temporarily  attached  to  his 
embassy,  to  ease  somewhat  a  tedious  stay  he  was  obliged 
to  make  in  Rome,  because  of  his  bad  health.  A  soldier 
by  profession,  also  a  sportsman  who  made  his  mark 
among  the  61ite  of  the  Italians,  both  at  riding  and  in 
handling  the  ribbons  over  a  smart  team  of  four  horses, 
Prince  Michael  Cantacuzene  was  in  the  south  recuperat- 
ing from  a  horse-show  accident.  He  had  little  if  any 
duty  on  the  embassy  staff,  and  seemed  glad — ^in  spite  of 
his  reputation  of  hating  society — to  run  about  with  us, 
whether  to  balls  or  in  more  spoi'ty  occupations. 

My  imcle  grew  better  and  we  were  soon  to  push  on  to 
Cannes,  where  with  early  spring  the  doctors  said  he 
would  find  the  change  of  climate  and  the  sea  air  bene- 


PRINCE   CANTACUZENE. 


ROMAN  GAIETIES  197 

facial.  Somehow  our  departure  was  rather  saddening. 
We  had  all  enjoyed  the  season  of  gaiety,  and  felt  we  were 
leaving  pleasant  friends  who  would  be  missed.  At  the 
last  our  rooms  were  continuously  crowded  with  people 
and  I  had  no  quiet  talk  with  any  one  individual. 

I  discovered  a  variety  of  rumors  had  floated  round  us, 
and  that  I  was  supposed  to  have  refused  every  man  in 
our  sympathetic  little  circle,  from  old  Doctor  Nevin 
down.  It  seemed  just  as  well  to  be  leaving  while  this 
glory  lasted.  Several  of  our  group  spoke  of  coming  to 
join  us  in  Cannes  for  a  vacation,  and  each  one  was  to 
write  me  more  of  his  plans.  They  all  kept  their  kindly 
promise  as  to  this,  giving  me  the  opportunity  of  straight- 
ening things  out  so  there  might  be  no  misimderstandings. 
All  save  one  did  this,  for  I  had  not  been  on  the  Riviera  a 
week  when,  on  walking  into  the  hall  of  our  hotel  with 
an  armful  of  bimdles  and  an  open  box  of  candy,  I  foimd 
Cantacuzene  seated  in  a  deep  chair  reading.  He  dropped 
his  book  and  came  toward  me.  I  had  only  just  had  a 
letter  from  him  saying  he  was  leaving  Rome,  going  direct 
to  Paris,  having  given  up  his  proposed  stop  on  the 
Riviera,  and  Ms  sudden  apparition  surprised  me  so  much 
that  my  arms  fell  and  the  sweets  and  bundles  sjattered 
over  the  floor.  When  my  atmt  and  cousins  joined  us 
Cantacuzdne  was  still  gathering  up  the  horrid  things. 
The  family  were  all  very  glad  to  see  him,  for  he  was  an 
agreeable  fellow.  He  explained  with  energy  that  he  had 
been  on  the  verge  of  starting  for  Paris  when  a  telegram 
from  the  Grand  Duke  Kyril  had  brought  him  to  Cannes 
for  a  few  days*  visit,  and  that  he  was  spending  the  eve- 
ning with  this  old  comrade.  We  were  also  dining  out, 
so  we  all  parted,  making  an  engagement  for  the  next  day 
some  time. 

At  dinner  I  chanced  to  sit  next  to  the  grand  duke 


198  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

himself,  and  by  way  of  conversation  I  said  to  him  how 
nice  it  was  that  he  had  brought  Cantacuz^ne  to  the 
Riviera. 

"I  did  not,"  said  Kyril.  "I  was  glad  to  see  him  when 
he  appeared  in  my  rooms  this  evening,  but  it  filled  me 
with  amazement.  All  winter  he  has  stuck  in  Rome — I 
don't  know  why — and  now,  when  I  gave  him  up,  he 
came.  I  had  to  turn  him  out,  since  I  was  already  en- 
gaged for  to-night,  but  to-morrow  I  will  know  why  he 
has  suddenly  elected  to  arrive.  He  seems  unusually 
capricious !" 

It  was  evident  Kyril's  story  and  Cantacuzene's  had 
not  been  compared  before  the  telling,  and  that  some 
mystery  surrounded  the  latter's  actions.  I  v/as  given 
further  food  for  thought  when  a  day  or  two  later  an  old 
college  friend  of  my  cousin  announced  to  me  that  I  would 
be  making  a  great  mistake  to  tie  up  to  any  foreigner,  no 
matter  how  nice  he  was.  "Grants  belong  in  America, 
and  I  want  to  argue  the  point  seriously  with  you." 

As  he  spoke  he  looked  across  the  table  to  where  the 
Russian  sat,  making  himself  agreeable  to  Princess  Clem- 
entine of  Belgium.  She  was  a  delightful  person  with 
whom  we  had  made  friends,  and  whom  I  had  visited  at 
San  Rafael.     Mr.  G scowled  and  I  laughed. 

**I  assiu-e  you  that  no  foreigner  wants  me.  You  see 
all  the  girls  who  marry  English,  French,  and  Italians 
have  fortunes.  I'm  too  poor  to  be  in  danger.  Besides,  I 
don't  think  I  should  care  for  foreign  life  save  as  an  inci- 
dent such  as  this  trip  has  been.  Don't  let  my  peril  weigh 
on  you  now,  therefore,  and  if  it  will  allay  your  anxiety 
for  the  future,  I  can  safely  promise  you  to  keep  myself 
free  for  any  American  who  may  appeal  to  me  in  time." 

"I  suppose  I  must  be  content  with  this  solemn  prom- 
ise," said  Mr.  G ,  and  we  passed  on  to  other  subjects. 


ROMAN  GAIETIES  199 

Whether  it  was  the  fine  weather  and  the  beauty  of 
Cannes,  or  the  powers  of  eloquence  which  he  displayed 
and  his  disregard  for  the  European  necessity  of  a  dower, 
within  two  days  from  that  of  the  luncheon  I  found  my- 
self, in  spite  of  my  intentions,  engaged  to  Prince  Can- 
tacuzene.  Ours  was  a  somewhat  complicated  position, 
for  we  were  far  away  from  both  our  immediate  families, 
and  for  many  days  we  kept  the  telegraph-wires  hot. 
Finally  we  had  official  consent  from  all  our  parents,  and 
were  able,  with  my  aunt*s  help,  to  make  some  plans.  April 
was  still  to  be  spent  in  the  south  on  my  uncle's  account, 
then  we  were  to  go  to  Paris,  our  party  augmented  by 
my  fiance.  There  the  official  announcement  would  be 
made,  and  I  was  to  order  my  trousseau.  On  the  ist  of 
June  we  were  to  sail  for  the  United  States,  while  Can- 
tacuz^ne  returned  to  his  country,  to  take  up  regimental 
service  during  the  summer  manoeuvres.  He  was  to  join 
us  in  the  auttimn  again  for  the  wedding.  We  had  known 
each  other  but  two  or  three  weeks  before  becoming  en- 
gaged, and  had  been  a  month  together  since  then.  Now 
the  summer  was  to  mean  a  long  separation,  and  we  were 
to  see  one  another  only  shortly  before  our  marriage  day. 

I  was  called  a  gambler  by  some  of  my  friends  at  this 
time,  but  though  generally  a  slow,  careful  person,  on  this 
occasion  I  was  not  at  all  hesitating  or  agitated  over  what 
seemed  a  risky  business,  perhaps,  to  others. 

I  knew  nothing  of  Russia — even  its  geography  and  his- 
tory were  hazy  in  my  mind — nothing  of  the  society  or 
family  in  which  I  was  to  take  a  place.  Such  Russians 
as  I  had  met  I  liked,  and  I  had  found  their  point  of  view 
similar  to  my  own.  My  fiance  knew  beforehand  I  was 
quite  poor,  yet  he  had  not  hesitated  over  this  fact.  He 
was  a  liberal-minded,  hard-working  individual,  and  seemed 
popular  and  well  liked.     His  name  carried  me  back  to 


200  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND   THERE 

those  Vienna  friends,  of  whom  I  had  been  fond.  Without 
any  doubts  on  the  score  of  what  my  future  background 
would  be,  I  had  accepted  his  proposal  to  go  and  live  with 
him  in  his  far-away  home.     It  sounded  attractive. 

That  simimer  in  America  was  spent  visiting  various 
members  of  my  own  family  in  my  mother's  company, 
and  then  with  her  I  went  to  Newport  to  await  my  fiance's 
arrival.  I  seemed  to  have  a  series  of  new  and  strange 
impressions  of  my  home  and  its  inhabitants.  People's 
amazing  capacity  to  absorb  queer  stories  about  totally 
unimportant  details  dazed  me,  as  well  as  the  manner  in 
which  this  taste  was  catered  to.  All  my  family  was 
entirely  satisfied  with  my  marrying  some  one  I  liked  and 
felt  to  be  attractive;  yet  the  papers  came  out  with  lurid 
accoimts  of  my  Grandmother  Grant's  despair  over  the 
match,  giving  dramatic  tales  of  interviews  with  her  and 
with  me.  My  trousseau,  which  had  remained  in  Paris 
till  I  could  pick  it  up  in  the  autumn  on  the  way  to  our 
new  home,  was  said  by  the  papers  to  be  lost,  then  to 
have  arrived;  gowns  which  did  not  exist  were  minutely 
described,  especially  one  with  ''real  gold  coins  sewed  all 
over  it,"  and  one  covered  with  "real  fish-scales"  !  These 
were  as  completely  non-existent  as  were  the  fairy  palaces 
and  various  extraordinary  family  traditions  with  which 
Cantacuzene  was  supposedly  endowing  me.  The  long 
descriptions  of  family  jewels  were  equally  foolish.  Such 
jewels,  gowns,  and  background  as  there  really  were,  were 
neither  spoken  of  nor  photographed  at  all. 

Another  quite  amusing  phase  was  that  of  the  anony- 
mous letters  I  received,  full  of  violent  praise  or  blame, 
sometimes  calling  me  names  for  abandoning  my  country, 
disgracing  my  Americanism  and  my  family  by  marrying 
a  title,  or  else  showing  deep  sympathy  toward  me  for  all 
I  must  go  through  in  darkest  Russia,  living  under  a 


ROMAN  GAIETIES  201 

European  ruler,  giving  myself  and  my  fortune  to  an  ad- 
venturer who  sought  nothing  but  the  latter — as  if  I  had 
any  money !  One  of  my  correspondents  even  went  so 
far  as  to  offer  to  marry  me  himself  if  I  would  break  off 
with  this  foreigner ! 

The  summer  passed,  as  Newport  simimers  do,  though 
I  went  to  no  balls  and  naturally  saw  less  of  my  men 
friends  than  in  other  years.  My  chief  occupation  was 
the  writing  of  many  notes  necessary  to  thank  people  who 
sent  me  wedding-gifts.  The  latter  came  in  by  every 
mail,  and  the  express  companies  were  working  overtime. 
Some  of  the  things  were  lovely,  and  a  special  room  in  my 
aunt's  house  was  given  over  to  them,  that  they  might 
remain  spread  out  to  be  admired,  examined,  and  packed 
at  leisure. 

The  first  days  of  September  brought  my  fiance,  and 
after  that  a  roimd  of  dinners  began,  given  in  our  honor 
by  kind  friends.  Our  time  was  much  of  it  spent  in  the 
open  air,  riding,  driving,  or  yachting.  A  few  last  details 
were  discussed  and  settled  connected  with  the  wedding 
ceremonies.  There  were  to  be  two  of  these — the  Rus- 
sian Orthodox,  and  one  in  the  tiny  Episcopal  chapel  at 
Newport. 

The  Russian  ceremony  was  to  be  performed  first,  and 
(by  special  dispensation)  at  home,  the  priests  coming 
from  New  York  and  bringing  all  the  necessary  para- 
phernalia with  them.  It  was  a  most  beautiful  service. 
The  icons  and  the  tapers,  the  incense  and  the  chanting 
made  a  charming  effect  in  the  quiet  room.  No  one  was 
invited  save  our  ushers  and  our  family  party,  with  Bishop 
Potter  and  Doctor  Nevin,  who  had  come  all  the  way 
from  Rome  for  the  occasion. 

It  was  the  first  Russian  church  service  at  which  I  had 
ever  assisted,  and  though  I  was  one  of  the  chief  actors  in 


202  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

the  scene  and  necessarily  anxious  not  to  do  anything 
wrong  through  inattention,  I  managed  to  enjoy  the 
pageantry,  and  I  found  in  it  an  admirable  dignity  of 
ancient  traditions,  beautiful  and  rare  with  us. 

The  chanted  music,  without  any  instrumental  accom- 
paniment, was  especially  admirable  and  the  kindly  face 
of  the  old  priest  inspired  respect;  his  deep  intoning  was 
rich  with  harmony  and  I  loved  it,  though  I  had  no  no- 
tion of  the  words  he  used,  which  were  in  Slavonic.  He 
and  the  bridegroom  engineered  us  all  through  our  parts, 
and  every  one  present  was  greatly  delighted  to  have 
witnessed  the  service. 

At  the  American  chapel,  also,  the  wedding  was  a  very 
pretty  one;  as  simply  carried  out  as  possible,  according 
to  our  wish,  for  both  Cantacuzene  and  I  disliked  ex- 
tremely the  idea  of  exaggeration  or  show.  There  were  a 
few  auttimn  flowers  and  leaves  on  the  pews  and  a  screen 
of  feathery  green  about  the  altar.  Bishop  Potter,  my 
parents'  old  friend,  and  Doctor  Nevin,  who  had  seen  the 
birth  and  growth  of  our  romance,  divided  the  service  be- 
tween them.  My  cousins  and  imcles  and  a  few  of  my 
best  men  friends  were  ushers. 

My  gown  was  the  simplest  possible.  The  veil  of  tulle 
had  no  flower  or  jewel  to  attach  it  to  my  hair.  The  one 
note  of  magnificence  in  the  whole  proceedings  was  my 
husband's  uniform.  He  wore  his  regimental  white  cloth 
with  red-and-silver  trimmings,  high  black  boots,  and 
golden  metal  helmet,  with  the  imperial  eagle  of  Russia 
on  its  top  in  silver,  which  caught  the  light  and  added  its 
glistening  note.  Every  one  was  very  much  excited  about 
the  groom's  fine  clothes,  and  his  thoroughbred  type, 
face,  figure,  and  manner  came  in  for  favorable  comment 
from  all  who  met  him  for  the  first  time  that  day. 

The  little  chapel  was  filled  with  friends  from  the  vicin- 


ROMAN  GAIETIES  203 

ity  of  Newport,  and  others  who  were  interested  enough 
to  come  from  Washington,  Chicago,  New  York,  and  else- 
where. No  one  came  to  see  a  show.  They  knew  there 
would  be  none.  Some  army  officers,  comrades  of  my 
father,  were  in  full-dress  uniform  out  of  compliment  to 
my  husband,  who  was  an  army  man.  I  was  given  away 
by  my  handsome  cadet  brother  in  his  West  Point  uniform. 

My  father  having  been  sent  out  to  the  Philippines  in 
the  early  spring,  I  had  not  foimd  him  when  I  returned 
from  abroad,  and  he  had  written  us  he  expected  to  come 
back  before  our  wedding.  As  the  summer  passed  his 
work  in  Luzon  and  Samoa  had  become  more  arduous, 
and  constant  trouble  with  native  chiefs  made  him  feel 
that  his  duty  was  to  stay  there,  not  asking  for  the  leave 
he  had  meant  to  take.  Consequently  he  wrote  and  wired 
he  did  not  want  the  marriage  to  be  deferred,  but  wished 
us  to  ask  the  President,  if  under  these  circumstanceis  the 
latter  would  not  give  my  brother  permission  to  leave 
West  Point  and  to  replace  him  for  the  occasion.  Mr. 
McKinley  kindly  granted  this  request. 

During  the  week  of  my  wedding  my  father  was  in  four 
battles,  but  from  the  firing-line  out  in  the  wilds  a  runner 
carried  back  a  telegram  and  sent  it  from  headquarters, 
so  it  was  put  into  my  hands  as  we  returned  from  church, 
and  my  father's  message  of  love,  blessings,  and  congratu- 
lations was  the  first  to  reach  me. 

A  most  amusing  incident  occurred  as  we  left  the 
chapel.  Nearly  all  of  Newport's  village  people  had 
assembled  in  the  street  about  the  brougham  which  was 
waiting  for  us,  and  Cantacuz^ne,  with  me  on  his  arm, 
was  greatly  and  audibly  approved,  when  we  appeared  at 
the  church  door.  FeeHng  we  were  rather  conspicuous, 
and  disliking  that  above  everything  else,  he  hurried  a 
little  and  we  climbed  into  our  coupe.     When  the  door 


204  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

closed  and  while  the  footman  was  going  round  to  his 
place  on  the  box  the  crowd's  curiosity  got  the  better  of 
their  discretion  and  they  pressed  against  the  little  car- 
riage, looking  in  at  the  windows.  In  an  instant  my 
husband  was  dragging  down  the  shades,  indignant  at 
this  invasion  of  privacy,  but  the  good-natured,  interested 
crowd  put  their  own  construction  on  Cantacuz^ne's  ac- 
tions, and  a  voice  shouted:  "Sure,  he's  kissing  the  bride; 
three  cheers  for  the  prince."  Up  went  the  curtains 
again,  but  this  did  not  spoil  the  pleasure  of  the  multi- 
tude, convinced  of  its  own  divining  powers,  and  we  finally 
got  under  way,  a  hearty  ovation  ringing  in  our  ears.  I 
do  not  think  the  American  public  ever  gave  a  foreign 
bridegroom  such  a  warm  reception. 

Afterward,  at  the  house,  where  my  aunt  had  a  delight- 
ful breakfast  prepared  for  the  wedding-party,  the  same 
informality  reigned  and  every  one  seemed  to  have  a 
lovely  time.  There  was  no  crowding — ^in  salons,  on  bal- 
conies, and  lawns  were  scattered  cosey  parties,  family, 
and  friends  comfortably  seated  gossiping,  when  they  had 
eaten  luncheon  under  a  great  marquee  tent.  The  weather 
was  warm  and  soft,  and  every  one  congratulated  me  on 
the  pleasant  omen  and  on  my  luck  that  the  equinoctial 
storms  had  held  off  so  late,  for  it  was  September  25. 

There  were  a  great  many  interesting  people  at  the  wed- 
ding who  had  gathered  for  love  of  my  parents  and  inter- 
est in  their  child,  but  I  have  little  memory  of  any  indi- 
vidual faces.  My  grandfather  had  come  from  Chicago 
with  his  four  sons,  and  he  was,  at  eighty,  still  well  and 
strong,  though  cataracts  were  developing  on  both  his 
eyes  and  he  used  a  cane  to  prevent  false  steps.  He  and 
my  Grandmother  Grant  foimd  each  other  in  the  com- 
pany, and  taking  each  other's  arms  they  were  wandering 
about  talking,  in  the  gayest  spirits.     They  travelled  back 


ROIMAN   GAIETIES  205 

in  their  memory  twenty-five  years  to  the  time  of  my 
parents'  wedding,  and  all  the  company  enjoyed  their 
pleasures  and  their  reminiscences.  We  had  some  anxiety 
for  their  safety,  for  grandmama,  too,  was  grown  old  and 
very  heavy,  and  her  eyesight  was  extremely  bad.  Our 
fears  were  misplaced,  however,  and  they  survived  the 
heavy  lunch  and  other  pleasiires  of  the  day,  and  were 
photographed  with  our  wedding-party,  standing  together. 
We  left  Newport  that  afternoon,  on  a  yacht  loaned  us 
by  Mr.  Walters,  the  kindest  of  friends,  and  we  sailed  the 
next  morning  for  France.  A  few  days  in  Paris  to  gather 
up  our  various  trousseau  trunks,  and  then  we  took  the 
north  express  bound  for  Russia. 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE  RUSSIAN  HOME 

ON  the  frontier  of  my  new  home  country  I  was 
keyed  to  the  highest  pitch  of  interest  and  curi- 
osity. What  was  it  which  made  every  one  say 
I  would  find  both  the  land  and  life  so  different  from  the 
same  things  in  the  West,  and  why  should  I  feel  so  far 
away,  as  I  was  told  I  would  ? 

At  once,  of  course,  I  heard  the  imknown  tongue,  in 
which  long  sentences  seemed  to  be  spoken  as  if  they  were 
each  one  a  single  word.  I  saw  strange  square-built  fig- 
ures with  broad,  stolid  faces,  standing  about.  They  said 
almost  nothing,  made  no  gestures,  and  answered  agitated 
questions  with  patient,  quiet  voices.  They  were  mujiki, 
wearing  to  me  very  odd  costumes  and  white  aprons, 
also  caps  of  a  queer  shape.  They  carried  our  baggage 
adroitly  and  seemed  very  strong.  Officials  in  various 
imiforms,  fine-looking,  heavy-built  men,  who  wore  their 
clothes  smartly,  were  most  busy  examining  passports  and 
baggage.  The  travellers  who  were  Russians  had  a  lot 
to  say,  and  seemed  excited  over  their  explanations. 
Those  who  were  foreigners  stood  petrified  by  the  diffi- 
culty of  the  language,  but  were  perfectly  cared  for  by  the 
railroad  people. 

On  the  outskirts  of  this  and  every  other  station  were 
little  groups  of  people  standing,  sitting,  or  stretched  out 
asleep,  eternally  waiting  among  their  bundles.  These 
were  the  peasants  and  the  Jews,  each  in  the  dress  of  his 
caste.  The  first  were  generally  silent,  the  last  were  al- 
most always  talking,  and  their  sharp,  roving  eyes  spoke 
of  discontent. 

We  were  met  at  the  frontier  by  a  clever-looking  old 

2()6 


THE  RUSSIAN  HOME  207 

man  who  had  been  with  my  husband's  grandfather,  then 
with  Cantacuzene's  father,  for  years,  and  had  become  the 
majordomo,  or  house  steward,  since  the  death  of  my 
father-in-law.  He  took  our  tickets,  baggage  receipts, 
and  passports,  also  all  responsibility,  and  telling  us  to  go 
and  eat  the  dinner  he  had  ordered  for  us  in  the  restau- 
rant, he  marched  off  to  care  for  everything. 

After  our  meal  we  walked  about  among  the  picturesque 
groups,  before  old  Auguste  came  to  tell  us  our  special  car 
had  been  hooked  to  the  train  going  south,  and  we  must 
get  into  it.  After  twenty-four  hours*  more  travelling  we 
arrived  at  a  tiny  station  which  was  then  the  nearest  to 
the  old  chateau  of  Bouromka,  and  there,  when  we  alighted, 
my  husband's  brother  met  us.  He  was  a  fourteen-year- 
old,  charming,  round-faced  boy,  with  a  cheerful  smile, 
and  with  a  keen  sense  of  humor  lurking  in  his  handsome 
eyes.  He  had  brought  me  a  large  bunch  of  violets,  and 
while  we  chatted  with  him  the  contents  of  a  big  limch- 
basket  had  been  unpacked  by  the  servants  and  laid  out 
for  our  benefit.  We  ate  with  hearty  appetites,  for  since 
the  frontier  had  been  crossed  we  had  had  only  such  food 
as  old  Auguste  could  prepare  in  our  car.  The  home-made 
food  seemed  delicious,  though  some  of  the  dishes,  un- 
known to  my  Western  palate,  I  thought  I  should  like  bet- 
ter with  time.  It  seemed  a  fimny  way  to  travel,  to  have 
to  take  so  many  things  and  people  along  to  be  comforta- 
ble. Auguste  had  brought  bed-linen  and  ever3rthing 
needed  with  him,  and  I  learned  this  was  really  necessary, 
as  soon  as  one  left  the  main  lines  and  the  express-trains. 

My  brother-in-law  had  arranged  to  perfection  our 
drive  to  Bouromka.  Over  the  undulating  steppes  three 
relays  of  dapple-gray  trotters,  each  set  harnessed  four 
abreast,  dragged  us  in  a  huge,  luxurious  landau.  An- 
other carriage  followed  with  Auguste  and  the  bags,  and 


208  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

a  third  vehicle  carried  our  trunks.  At  the  frontier  of 
the  Bouromka  estate  a  gala  equipage,  called  traditionally 
the  "golden  carriage,"  which  was  used  for  all  ceremonious 
family  occasions,  awaited  us.  Hung  so  high  from  the 
ground  that  a  ladder  of  four  steps  was  used  to  climb  into 
it,  this  carriage  had  a  platform  out  behind,  where  be- 
tween the  springs  two  footmen  in  Cossack  dress  stood 
holding  to  straps  and  looking  very  handsome  in  their 
blue,  scarlet,  and  fur,  with  the  family  eagles  fastened  on 
their  breasts.  Cantacuz^ne  and  I  sat  on  the  main  seat, 
and  my  brother-in-law  on  a  small  one  at  our  feet,  with 
his  back  to  the  high  box  which  the  coachman  occupied. 

All  the  men  wished  us  health,  happiness,  and  welcome 
to  Bouromka.  The  superintendents  of  the  estate  met 
us  with  the  traditional  bread  and  salt  on  silver  dishes, 
covered  with  towels  which  were  embroidered  by  the 
women  of  the  estate.  They  kissed  my  hands,  while 
my  husband  embraced  each  of  the  old  servitors  heartily. 
They  had  seen  him  grow  up  and  were  his  devoted  friends, 
it  seemed. 

We  were  established  in  our  lofty  turnout.  Its  six 
horses  were  latmched  full  tilt.  Harnessed  four  in  a  row 
with  another  pair  ahead,  this  relay,  even  with  that  heavy 
equipage,  made  excellent  time.  The  horses  were  all 
white  and  were  decorated  with  gay  ribbons,  as  were  the 
men  and  the  carriage  itself.  I  felt  myself  unworthy  of 
all  this  grandeur;  I  ought  to  have  had  on  something 
much  fancier  than  a  dark-blue  tailored  suit,  for  as  we 
passed  through  each  village  the  peasants  looked  at  me 
with  curiosity  in  their  smiling  faces.  We  pulled  up  in 
the  midst  of  a  crowd  on  each  public  square  who  offered 
us  always  the  traditional  bread  and  salt,  and  whose 
health  Cantacuzdne  drank  as  he  thanked  that  particular 
village  for  its  welcome. 


THE  RUSSIAN  HOME  209 

Some  had  made  arches  of  straw  and  flowers,  tied  with 
bunting,  for  us  to  pass  under.  All  the  people  seemed  to 
me  most  sympathetic.  The  villages  were  as  picturesque 
as  were  the  costumes,  and  I  felt  I  was  going  to  like  Rus- 
sian life  and  all  it  seemed  to  mean  of  tradition,  good  feel- 
ing, and  interesting  duties. 

The  loaves  of  bread,  the  Itimps  of  salt,  with  the  plat- 
ters and  towels,  were  piling  up  under  my  brother-in- 
law's  care  in  the  bottom  of  the  carriage.  It  grew  dark 
and  we  were  met  by  two  more  men  in  Cossack  dress,  who 
were  on  horseback  and  carried  flaming  torches  to  light 
us  on  our  way.  Soon  after  this  we  swung  into  the  park, 
and,  taking  the  main  avenue  at  a  gallop,  we  reached  the 
house  entrance  through  a  mass  of  brilliant  figures  in 
peasant  national  dress.  As  we  pulled  up,  a  brass  band 
began  to  play  on  the  lawn,  the  front  doors  were  both 
thrown  open,  and  ever  so  many  people  met  my  eyes — 
all  apparently  retainers  of  one  kind  or  another — with 
Cantacuzene's  mother,  in  a  light  gown,  and  the  village 
priest,  standing  together  as  central  figures. 

We  were  fairly  carried  out  of  the  carriage,  and  our 
outer  coats  were  removed,  I  scarcely  know  how.  Then 
we  fotmd  ourselves  pulled  or  shoved  toward  the  princess. 
When  our  greetings  were  over  we  moved  into  the  ball- 
room, which  looked  enormous.  It  ran  two  stories  high 
and  there  was  room  in  it  for  all  the  people.  Here  a  wel- 
coming thanksgiving  service  was  celebrated  by  the  vil- 
lage priest,  or  "pope,"  and  during  that,  I  had  time  to  get 
my  breath  and  look  arotmd.  The  service  in  Slavonic  I 
could  not  understand  at  all,  of  course,  but  I  knew  it  was 
in  the  nature  of  a  Te  Deum  in  honor  of  my  husband's 
return  to  the  old  home  with  his  bride,  and  I  was  aware 
that  while  they  listened,  as  respectful  devotees,  to  the 
words  of  the  priest,  most  of  the  retainers  kept  their  eyes 


210  MY  LIFE.  HERE  AJSD  THERE 

fixed  on  me — from  curiosity,  doubtless,  as  to  what  the 
new  member  of  the  chateau  family  would  represent  in 
their  lives.  I  was,  on  my  side,  deeply  interested  in  their 
kindly  faces,  many  of  which  had  intelligent  expressions. 
Their  background  also  attracted  me  extremely. 

The  room's  proportions  were  really  imposing,  and 
seemed  the  vaster  because  of  the  softly  shaded  lamp- 
light and  the  rather  scattered  furniture.  It  had  been  a 
ballroom,  but  was  now  used  as  a  general  living-room,  evi- 
dently, with  big,  soft  chairs  stretching  out  their  arms 
invitingly,  and  many  books,  periodicals,  and  games  scat- 
tered about.  A  billiard-table,  a  grand  piano,  a  phono- 
graph— all  offered  themselves  in  different  comers,  while 
screens  of  plants  shut  off  spots  where  one  might  sit  for 
cosey  conversation  or  a  card  game.  There  were  large 
glass  cases  with  family  souvenirs  and  relics,  marble 
statues,  attractive-looking  paintings,  and  a  great  chim- 
neypiece  of  carved  wood. 

Most  of  all,  I  was  struck  by  the  floor,  in  the  great  open 
space  between  us  and  the  priest.  It  was  inlaid  in  the 
most  complicated  designs;  of  oak  foundation  with  white 
maple,  red  mahogany,  and  bits  of  mother-of-pearl,  its 
surface  brilliant  with  polish,  rich  with  many  coatings  of 
pure  beeswax — a  work  of  art  such  as  I  had  never  seen 
in  any  other  coimtry.  Afterward  I  learned  this  floor 
was  hand-made,  hand-laid,  and  hand-polished  for  genera- 
tions by  patient  people,  who  showed  by  their  care  of  de- 
tail a  true  love  of  beauty  and  their  instinct  for  good 
taste.  In  its  way  it  was  as  splendid  as  the  high-paneUed 
ceiling  or  the  chanting  of  the  choir,  which  carried  out  per- 
fectly their  share  of  our  thanksgiving  service. 

On  a  table  stood  a  collection  of  icons  which  were  to  be 
ours,  and  with  which  we  were  to  be  blessed.  Some  of 
these  were  ancient  and  rare,  offered  by  the  family  or  by 


THE  RUSSIAN  HOME  211 

friends;  others  in  modem  enamel  or  beaten  bronze  were 
donated  by  the  house  servants  and  the  superintendents 
of  the  estates.  Incense  burned,  voices  rose  in  beautiful 
strains,  and  the  whole  scene  was  most  touching,  with  a 
charm  different  from  any  I  had  ever  experienced.  It  was 
a  far  cry  from  Newport,  New  York,  and  Paris  to  this  new 
life  just  opening,  and  somehow,  in  spite  of  its  strange- 
ness, it  attracted  me  more  than  I  could  express.  I  began 
at  that  first  moment  to  feel  a  deep  sympathy  with  the 
nation  which  created  such  a  frame  and  lived  in  it,  filling 
it  so  well. 

The  princess,  my  mother-in-law,  was  a  Frenchwoman, 
and  her  looks,  gestures,  attitudes,  and  ways  were  differ- 
ent from  those  of  the  others  present.  She  was  very 
handsome,  and  was  dressed  in  the  latest  fashion  of  Paris. 
She  moved  more  quickly  than  did  the  Russians,  and  she 
wept  from  excitement.  Her  eyes  roved  about,  alert  to 
catch  and  correct  any  imperfection.  She  made  an  excel- 
lent effect  and  stood  out  in  sharp  contrast  to  the  back- 
groimd  of  Botiromka  life,  which  she  greatly  appreciated. 

The  service  over,  we  remained  where  we  were,  I  stand- 
ing between  my  mother-in-law  and  my  husband,  and 
from  the  old  priest  down  to  the  yotmgest  servant-maid, 
every  one  passed  by  us  to  be  presented  to  me  and  to  kiss 
my  hand.  Many  of  these  faithful  people  were  very  old 
in  the  family's  service.  Two  tottering  old  chaps  had 
known  Speransky,  who  died  in  1829  !  Many  dated  back 
to  serfdom  times,  and  practically  all  were  bom  and 
brought  up  on  the  estate.  My  husband's  old  nurse  wad- 
dled by,  rolling  in  fat,  with  a  new  gold  brooch  on  her 
ample  breast,  and  when  she  kissed  my  hand,  after  hug- 
ging and  kissing  Cantacuz^ne,  I  thought  her  so  motherly- 
looking  I  kissed  her  with  enthusiasm  on  both  her  ruddy 
cheeks.     She  gave  me  a  comfortable  hug  and  a  smile  in 


212  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

return,  and  from  then  on  I  had  in  "Grandmother  Ann- 
Wladimir,"  as  she  was  called,  a  stanch  ally. 

Soon  all  the  servants  and  I  were  extremely  friendly, 
and,  through  almost  twenty  years,  I  always  saw  only 
signs  of  their  good- will  and  understanding  devotion.  It 
was  the  qualities  of  these  simple,  lowly  cotmtry  folk  which 
first  made  me  fond  of  my  new  home.  Afterward,  as  I 
grew  to  know  them  and  their  compatriots  better,  the 
same  traits  made  me  admire  all  classes  of  Russians  for 
their  utterly  simple  dignity,  their  patience,  and  their 
courage,  with  so  many  other  traits  as  rare  and  fine  as 
these. 

After  our  reception,  followed  a  long  dinner  with  all  the 
bigwigs  of  the  place  at  table.  It  seemed  a  dull  cere- 
mony, since  I  could  not  communicate  with  my  neighbors, 
though  I  was  fairly  simmering  inside  with  questions.  I 
was  very  much  pleased  with  all  my  new  friends,  but  I 
was  glad,  nevertheless,  when  bedtime  came,  and  the 
guests  withdrew,  leaving  me  to  rest  and  to  make  the 
acquaintance  of  my  new  maid. 

It  took  a  little  while  to  get  used  to  the  size  of  the  old 
house  and  its  complicated  plan,  and  I  was  always  getting 
lost  and  asking  my  way  about.  There  was  much  I  liked 
and  much  that  was  amusing  at  Bouromka.  The  average 
American  housekeeper  would  have  gone  quite  mad  from 
the  inconvenient  arrangements.  The  pumping  by  hand 
of  all  water  for  that  enormous  establishment ;  the  fetching 
and  carrying  necessary;  the  mere  fact  that  two  men 
spent  their  entire  days  cleaning,  filling,  and  lighting  kero- 
sene lamps;  that  we  all  lived  with  doors  and  windows 
unbolted,  even  open — French  windows  standing  wide  on 
the  terraces  through  summer  nights;  that  all  one's  trea- 
sures lay  about  in  complete  safety  for  years,  generations 
even;  all  this  seemed  amazing !    Yet  it  was  true  that  we, 


THE  RUSSIAN  HOME  «13 

with  our  possessions  about  us,  lived  thus  always  in  old 
days  in  Russia.  Confidence  begat  honesty  and  loyalty 
apparently,  and  the  atmosphere  was  such  as  made  one 
feel  the  world  worth  while. 

Outside,  the  country  was  very  beautiful,  and  I  never 
could  decide  whether  I  loved  the  fiat  steppe-land  best, 
with  its  splendor  of  harvests  waving  and  its  chocolate- 
colored  furrowed  fields  so  full  of  promise,  or  whether  the 
woods  and  meadow  stretches  were  more  admirable  in 
their  green  peacefulness,  with  cattle  feeding  and  streams 
flowing  gently  by.  The  number  of  our  animals  and  the 
variety  of  work  on  the  estate  were  as  absorbing  as  the 
witchery  of  scene,  and  it  seemed  to  my  American  mind 
interesting  and  amusing  to  think  how  self-sufficient  we 
were,  seventy  versts  away — about  forty-six  miles — ^from 
post,  telegraph,  railroad,  and  electricity.  Yet  life  was 
entirely  civilized  and  comfortable,  and  everything  moved 
as  if  by  well-oiled  machinery. 

After  two  or  three  days  the  princess  departed  for  St. 
Petersburg  to  conduct  my  young  brother-in-law  to 
school,  and  we  remained  on  for  two  weeks  or  so  through 
the  golden  magnificence  of  the  early  autumn.  My  hus- 
band took  me  over  the  whole  of  the  estate,  and  during 
that  first  stay  in  the  Russian  country  place  I  grew  to 
know  much  about  the  way  of  running  it  with  its  wheels 
within  wheels.  Originally  it  had  consisted  of  thirty 
thousand  dessiatines  (of  about  two  and  two-thirds  acres 
to  a  d6ssiatine).  With  the  abolition  of  serfdom  half  of 
this  had  been  given  to  the  liberated  peasants  by  the 
Emperor,  and  the  government  had  paid  a  nominal  sum 
to  the  landowner  for  the  confiscation.  Later,  through 
three  generations,  various  reasons  led  to  further  sac- 
rifices of  a  small  part  of  Bouromka's  land,  but  thirteen  or 
fourteen   thousand   d6ssiatines   were   still   ours.     Inter- 


214  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

weaving  its  borders  with  the  peasant-commune  lands  it 
made  a  fair  sight,  and  gave  one  the  feeling  that  one  was 
lord  of  a  small  kingdom,  with  all  rights  and  responsi- 
bilities belonging  to  it. 

The  village  outside  otir  gates  was  very  picturesque, 
but  it  gave  me  a  heartache  to  see  the  wretchedness  which 
reigned  there,  and  the  imhealthy  looks  of  many  of  the 
people.  Situated  on  the  green,  sloping  banks  of  a  tiny 
lake,  it  was  ideally  pretty  and  showed  the  Russian  deep- 
rooted  instinct  both  for  the  practical  and  the  beautiftd. 
Cattle  and  people  both  drank  and  bathed  in  the  crystal 
water.  Their  homes,  smothered  in  trees  and  gay  flowers, 
were  of  a  charming  general  effect  from  a  distance.  Close 
by  it  was  different,  for  the  thatched  roofs  all  needed 
mending,  were  blown  about  terribly,  and  let  in  rain  and 
snow.  The  houses  themselves  had  usually  crooked  walls 
with  tiny  windows  fixed  in  the  plaster.  One  saw  evi- 
dences of  poverty,  misery,  filth,  shiftlessness,  overcrowd- 
ing, and  discomfort.  To  me  it  was  deeply  distressing  to 
think  the  people  who,  when  serving  in  our  house  or  on 
the  estate  where  conditions  were  better,  showed  us  sunny 
faces  and  sang  gaily  over  work,  which  they  carried  out 
with  quick  intelligence,  in  their  natural  state  and  their 
own  village  homes  lived  in  such  a  sad,  unhealthy  way. 

Alcoholism  and  the  village  usiu-er  undermined  our 
peasantry  physically  and  morally,  and  they  seemed  too 
dulled  to  realize  the  situation  or  to  help  themselves. 

My  husband's  father  had  been  dead  a  long  time;  my 
mother-in-law,  in  the  hands  of  her  superintendents,  dur- 
ing her  children's  minority,  was  exploited  by  these  men 
almost  as  much  as  were  the  peasants,  and,  besides,  she 
had  been  away  from  the  country  place  a  great  deal. 
She  had  done  much  to  better  the  ch2,teau  and  other 
buildings  on  the  estate,  but  she  was  facing  large  annual 


THE  RUSSIAN  HOME  215 

deficits  caused  by  overexpenditure  and  underproduc- 
tion. The  people  were  not  considered  part  of  her  re- 
sponsibility. I  do  not  know  if  this  situation  was  the 
same  all  over  Russia,  but  I  was  told  Bouromka  was  a 
model  of  prosperity  and  the  Little  Russian  peasants  were 
happier  and  cleverer  than  those  of  the  north. 

For  a  long  time  it  seemed  diificult  to  understand  why 
our  people  should  suffer  so  much  more  than  the  inhabi- 
tants of  other  lands.  By  degrees  I  learned  the  influences 
which  had  been  at  work  for  centuries,  and  these  Rus- 
sians then  made  an  even  greater  appeal,  especially  as 
through  the  years  between  1900  and  19 14  I  was  carefully 
watching  their  development. 

I  dug  down  into  their  history,  which  seemed  to  give 
the  explanation  of  many  traits  I  found  in  them.  They 
had  originally,  in  prehistoric  days,  drifted  backward  and 
forward  over  the  great  steppe-lands — essentially  no- 
mads, tending  their  flocks,  living  in  tribes.  Strains  of 
Oriental  blood  influenced  these  early  Slavs'  habits  and 
minds.  Then  civilization  in  two  forms  reached  them. 
A  militant  Viking  group  had  come  in  from  Scandinavia, 
while  from  the  south  merchants  and  travellers  brought 
Byzantium's  influence  to  bear.  The  nomads  grouped 
themselves,  settled  down,  founded  towns,  and  learned 
what  government  was.  A  period  of  civilization  extend- 
ing over  several  centuries  followed  for  these  various  prin- 
cipalities— Kieff  especially  taking  its  place  among  the 
brilliant  courts  of  the  times — and  Russians  fought  against 
Bulgarians,  Htmgarians,  and  Poles,  making  a  reputation 
and  carrying  their  conquests  almost  to  Byzantium  itself. 

From  out  of  the  east  then  appeared  the  hordes  of 
Genghis  Khan,  and,  passing  over  the  steppes,  swept  all 
opposing  armies  before  them,  capturing  cities,  sacking, 
burning,  stealing  Russia's  rich  possessions.     The  domi- 


iilQ  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

nation  of  the  Tartars  was  long  and  cruel,  since  they 
exacted  tribute  so  difficult  to  produce,  it  meant  almost 
slavery  to  our  people.  During  the  conquerors'  stay  the 
peasants  learned  to  toil  as  never  before,  and  this  devel- 
oped the  silent  patience,  which  is  still  so  marked  a 
national  trait. 

Some  of  the  nobility  lingered  about  the  Khan's  court; 
the  rest,  on  the  contrary,  stood  off  and  plotted  against 
their  foreign  tyrants. 

Thus  a  warlike  spirit  came  to  be  bom,  and  little  by  lit- 
tle the  nobles  gathered  round  the  strongest  of  their 
number.  Several  efforts  were  ineffective,  but  finally 
Russia  won,  and  emerged  from  her  domination  by  the 
Tartars  the  stronger  and  the  wiser  for  the  yoke  carried 
so  long. 

Several  things  had  Russians  learned — ^first,  above  all, 
the  strength  there  was  in  fighting  together  as  an  organ- 
ized whole;  second,  the  advantage  of  centralization  for 
constructive  work. 

After  the  enemy  without  was  disposed  of,  the  grand 
dukes  of  Moscow  seized  the  reins  of  government,  keep- 
ing the  centralized  power  to  themselves.  In  the  midst 
of  this  autocracy  there  were,  however,  quaint  paradoxes 
which  made  for  more  democracy  than  anything  western 
Eiirope  knew  at  that  same  epoch,  and  which  neutralized 
much  that  was  severe  in  the  new  regime. 

The  ruler  chose  his  wife  from  among  his  subjects,  for 
her  beauty,  virtue,  and  intelligence,  and  he  called  on  his 
nobles  for  advice.  So  Moscow's  court  was  nationalistic 
and  patriotic,  and  the  council  of  "boyars,"  or  nobles, 
divided  responsibihty  in  a  way  with  their  ruler.  Fur- 
thermore, at  various  times,  when  the  succession  gave  rise 
to  discussion,  an  open  election  was  held  on  the  palace 
place,  where  a  new  and  generally  a  popular  man  was 


THE  RUSSIAN  HOME  217 

chosen  to  reign.  The  nobles  had  much  influence  and 
intrigued  among  themselves  for  more,  as  was  the  habit 
of  that  day  at  every  court  in  Europe  or  in  Asia,  but  they 
also  did  most  of  the  fighting  and  all  that  was  done  to  civ- 
ilize the  provinces. 

Our  peasants  had  been  forgotten  through  centuries  of 
history.  Since  they  had  first  attached  themselves  to  the 
land,  they  had  remained  on  it,  ploughing  or  harvesting, 
turn  and  turn  about.  Outside  of  this  they  prayed  ac- 
cording to  ancient  ritual,  while  their  only  culture  was  in 
the  music  and  poetry  of  their  own  souls.  It  broke  out 
into  legends,  tales,  and  songs  never  written  down  by 
them,  but  religiously  passed  on  by  word  of  mouth  from 
generation  to  generation.  Now  and  again  some  genius 
emerged  from  their  midst  and  made  good  in  art  or  science, 
religion  or  statesmanship,  and  the  high-bom  aristocrats 
readily  gave  way  for  an  himibly  bom  man,  who,  through 
his  self-made  success,  took  his  place  in  their  midst. 
Strange  these  contrasts,  s3miboHc  of  all  that  is  Russian ! 

With  Peter  the  Great  the  period  of  Muscovite  Czarism, 
national  reserve,  and  Oriental  coloring  ended,  and  a  new 
era  was  inaugiu-ated.  Conscious  that  his  people  were  a 
century  or  two  behind  Westem  monarchies  in  their  de- 
velopment, he  decided  to  push  them  forward  by  his  sheer 
strength  and  force  them  into  position  among  the  nations. 
Every  one  knows  the  history  of  his  colossal  effort — how 
with  infinite  imagination,  talent,  and  enthusiasm  he  cre- 
ated a  new  Russia.  His  capital  was  moved  to  a  fresh 
site  and  built  with  magnificent  conception  on  European 
lines.  His  courtiers  were  taken  from  their  gorgeous  cos- 
tumes of  the  Middle  Ages  and  made  to  wear  Versailles' 
styles.  Education  and  art,  a  fleet  and  an  army,  industry 
and  commerce,  were  all  built  up  in  one  man's  reign  on 
plans  brought  from  abroad;  and  a  new  machine  for  gov- 


«18  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

emment — the  bureaucracy,  as  it  was  afterward  called — 
was  created,  to  avoid  the  powers  of  the  aristocrat  and  to 
get  men  better  trained. 

It  was  the  middle  of  November  when  we  went  up  to 
the  capital  from  Bouromka.  One  felt  a  great  change  in 
the  climate  going  north.  In  the  government  of  Poltava 
the  autimin  was  only  fairly  advanced.  Heavy  rains  had 
set  in  which  made  our  ploughed  fields  fertile  but  turned 
our  roads  to  quagmires.  Six  horses  harnessed  to  a  great 
"berline**  like  a  landau  cotdd  scarcely  drag  it  through 
the  heavy  mud  which  oozed  over  our  hubs,  and  our 
spending  the  winter  in  that  special  spot  on  the  road  was 
apparently  among  the  possibilities. 

The  long  trip  in  old-fashioned  trains  with  no  conve- 
niences, to  me  was  an  amusing  adventure,  for  we  had 
space  and  provisions  and  plenty  of  servants  along.  All 
this  changed  after  some  years,  but  I  remember  with  in- 
terest those  funny  arrangements,  the  piles  of  hand  bag- 
gage^and  the  ready,  helpful  people,  who  through  atavis- 
tic traits  of  a  desire  to  please,  doubtless,  knew  how  to 
make  us  travel  easily.  I  am  sure  our  party  resembled  a 
modernized  edition  of  the  nomad  prehistoric  Russians  I 
liked  to  read  about. 

It  was  easy  to  get  used  to  the  methods  of  my  new  life, 
since  there  was  room  and  time  for  everything.  As  always 
in  old  Russia  every  one  kept  in  excellent  humor,  so  I 
remember  the  two-day  trips  as  one  would  a  novel  kind 
of  picnic,  to  me  full  of  the  unexpected. 

We  were  to  go  to  the  home  of  my  mother-in-law  on 
arriving  in  the  capital,  and  she  had  offered  us  a  part  of 
her  large  apartment  for  all  winter,  or  till  such  time  as 
we  found  one  in  which  to  settle  ourselves.  She  was  to 
send  her  carriage  to  meet  us  at  the  station,  and  we  were 


THE  RUSSIAN  HOME  219 

to  have  the  feeling  of  a  home-coming,  she  had  said  with 
much  enthusiasm. 

It  was  a  drizzHng  morning  with  dirty  snow  covering 
the  streets  thinly.  Scarcely  light  as  yet,  the  place  looked 
dull,  and  a  very  raw,  icy  wind  swept  across  one's  face. 
The  carriage,  through  mistake  or  neglect,  was  not  there, 
so  perforce  we  drove  across  the  city^in  a  queer  vehicle 
called  a  "droshky,"  with  a  driver  as  odd  as  his  turnout, 
conducting  a  horse  which  had  a  night's  work  already  in 
his  weary  legs,  I'm  sure,  from  the  slow  way  he  moved. 

That  drive  was  my  only  bad  experience  in  the  mag- 
nificent city  which  I  was  to  love  so  dearly  as  my  home 
through  many  years,  but  it  was  horrid,  and  it  seemed 
miles  from  the  Warsaw  station  to  the  Fontanka,  where 
the  Princess  lived. 

When  at  last  we  were  safely  landed  at  her  front  door 
and  made  our  way  up  the  great  staircase  into  her  well- 
heated  rooms,  our  spirits  rose.  The  Princess  received  us 
with  as  much  excitement  as  in  Bouromka,  but  with  less 
ceremony,  and  I  was  at  once  introduced  to  my  husband's 
sister  and  her  husband.  The  former  had  extraordinary 
distinction;  small  and  fragile,  she  was  the  quintessence 
of  fine  breeding,  with  gentle  hands,  and  eyes  of  great 
beauty.  Her  rare  intelligence,  wit,  and  sweetness  were 
all  her  own.  Shy  as  a  rule  and  not  demonstrative,  she 
was  of  those  of  whom  the  French  genius  spoke  when  he 
said:  '*The  most  attractive  women  never  draw  atten- 
tion, but  always  hold  it." 

I  found  her  very  simple  and  winning,  and  we  at  once 
adopted  each  other  as  sisters.  During  twenty  long  years 
we  have  been  that,  and  faithful  friends  besides. 

Her  husband,  big,  warm-hearted,  charming,  made  him- 
self my  kindly  comrade  immediately,  and  I  found  him 
also  most  sympathetic  through  a  long  relationship. 


220  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

We  liked  our  rooms,  which  the  Princess  had  had 
arranged  with  some  furniture  my  husband  had  sent  from 
his  bachelor  quarters  in  Rome.  Our  American  wedding- 
gifts  soon  arrived,  also,  and  with  a  little  living  in  them 
our  quarters  became  cosey,  in  spite  of  cathedral-like  pro- 
portions. 

By  degrees  I  realized  the  city's  splendor,  which  thrilled 
me,  and  I  even  had  a  taste  of  its  gay  society  life  almost 
at  once. 

Taken  all  in  all,  though,  I  had  a  bad  time  at  first,  for, 
arriving  in  November,  by  Christmas  I  had  already  spent 
three  weeks  ill  in  bed,  while  at  the  end  of  January  I  went 
to  bed  again,  to  remain  till  Easter,  with  a  grave  case  of 
typhoid.  Then  a  slight  relapse  kept  me  ill  or  conva- 
lescent until  the  end  of  May. 

When  my  brain  was  not  more  or  less  clouded,  I  felt 
deeply  depressed  by  so  much  illness,  but  my  young  hus- 
band was  a  most  excellent  nurse,  and  he  and  his  brother 
and  sister  were  amiably  ready  to  amuse  me  and  cheer  me 
through  the  slow  hours  of  recovery. 

In  June  we  moved  into  our  own  new  apartment  on  the 
banks  of  the  Neva,  and  though  it  was  much  smaller  than 
the  Princess's  home,  we  were  enchanted  to  establish  our- 
selves. We  both  loved  the  great  river,  which  was  a  con- 
stantly changing  picture. 

My  mother  had  come  to  me  during  my  illness  in  the 
winter,  and  in  the  stmimer  she  returned  for  six  weeks, 
taking  the  long,  fatiguing  trip  with  much  patience. 

In  July  our  first  child  was  bom,  a  splendid  fat  boy 
with  Cantacuzene  eyes  of  deep  brown.  He  was  lusty 
and  healthy,  and  I  was  immensely  proud  of  this  new 
member  of  the  family.  As  soon  as  he  was  old  enough  to 
travel,  we  took  our  son  and  heir  to  old  Bouromka,  so  that 
he  should  meet  the  members  of  his  family,  from  his  grand- 


Lake  in  the  park. 


^A 

/'» . 

^^L 

h 

Kb 

n 

«  ^^^^^^^^^B  j'^ 

L 

WW 

ra 

H 

^H 

1 

1 

i 

■ 

H 

wM 

A  wing  in  the  chdteau. 
BOUROMKA,  1899. 


THE  RUSSIAN  HOME  221 

mother  to  his  yoting  cousin,  who  had  preceded  him  into 
the  world  by  a  very  few  months. 

Again  we  spent  a  long  southern  autumn  at  the  family 
coimtry  place.  This  time,  returning  to  our  establishment 
for  the  winter,  I  felt  myself  an  old  married  woman,  for 
whom  St.  Petersburg  was  really  home.  Great  interest 
and  happiness  lay  before  me  in  the  following  years,  where 
there  was  so  much  to  tempt  my  enthusiasm  and  curiosity. 

My  husband  had  a  sailor  brother  but  fifteen  months 
his  junior,  and  the  latter  rettimed  from  the  Orient  about 
the  time  yotmg  Mike  was  bom.  Boris  at  once  adopted 
me  and  the  baby,  of  whom  he  greatly  approved,  and 
after  meeting  this  member  of  my  family-in-law,  I  felt  I 
truly  had  every  reason  to  congratulate  myself  on  the 
lovable  circle  my  husband  had  given  me  through  our 
marriage. 

With  a  pretty  home  to  look  after,  full  of  things  which 
we  liked,  with  a  fine  son  and  an  agreeable  husband,  I  was 
taking  a  new  start  in  Russian  life.  I  felt  well  and  strong 
after  all  the  care  connected  with  my  various  illnesses, 
and  looked  forward  to  seeing  something  of  St.  Peters- 
burg's court  society,  and  to  meeting  the  various  people 
of  world  renown  whom  I  knew  largely  composed  it.  It 
would  be  nice,  I  thought,  to  take  part  in  court  functions, 
for  the  Russian  Emperor  was  considered  at  that  time  to 
be  the  most  briUiantly  surrounded  sovereign  in  all 
Europe,  and  these  f^tes  were  famous  for  their  splendor. 
I  had  grown  to  love  the  magnificent  buildings  and  broad 
streets,  whose  proportions  seemed  finer  to  me  than  in 
any  other  capital  in  Europe  I  had  seen,  where  the  rows 
of  palaces,  the  great  cathedrals,  and  the  old  fortress  on 
the  banks  of  the  Neva  made  architectiirally  a  sight  at 
which  all  foreigners  marvelled.  Especially  was  it  beau- 
tiful under  the  heavy  snow  of  mid-winter,  with  the  dull 


%^%  MY  LIFE.  HERE  AND  THERE 

red  northern  sun,  or  during  the  white  nights  of  mid- 
summer, when  our  capital  clothed  itself  in  mother-of- 
pearl  tints.  At  such  times,  with  sunlight  or  moonlight 
on  the  river,  the  buildings,  silhouetted  dark  against  the 
sky,  gave  one  a  picture  never  to  be  effaced  from  memory. 
I  listened  to  the  many  church-bells,  and  at  Easter, 
especially,  I  loved  to  see  the  crowds  of  humble  citizens 
moving  toward  their  shrines  in  reverent  groups.  Russia 
at  prayer  was  deeply  sincere  and  appealing ! 


CHAPTER  X 

FIRST  SOCIAL  IMPRESSIONS 

GETTING  to  know  people  in  St.  Petersburg  was  an 
interesting  experience.  It  was  not  like  meeting  a 
society  when  passing  through  some  foreign  city, 
with  the  idea  that  one  would  be  moving  on  soon  and  that 
mutual  impressions  made  were  only  of  casual  importance. 
Some  of  these  Russians  were  now  my  relatives ;  all  of  them 
potentially  were  my  friends,  and  I  knew  I  must  live 
among  them  through  the  remainder  of  my  days.  They 
were  different  from  any  companions  of  my  past.  I  had 
the  feeling  they  were  much  simpler  and  more  natural. 
Etiquette  existed,  a  good  deal  of  it,  but  its  hand  was 
less  heavy  in  St.  Petersburg  than  in  Vienna.  More  of 
my  actions  seemed  left  to  chance  and  my  own  choice 
than  had  been  the  case  in  Austria. 

Peter  the  Great  had  established  a  grading  of  rank,  and 
the  rule  was  that  no  army  officer  below  the  rank  of 
colonel  could  go  to  court  and  take  his  wife  to  palace 
entertainments,  imless  she  or  he  were  attached  to  the 
person  of  some  member  of  the  imperial  family.  In  the 
latter  case  they  went  officially  as  part  of  their  service. 
An  inherited  title  did  not  change  this  court  position  at 
all.  One  could  be  head  of  a  princely  family,  yet  have 
no  court  rank,  though  every  colonel,  even  of  humble 
origin,  all  over  the  empire  had  a  right  to  go  to  the  big 
court  ball  and  take  his  wife.  Birth  counted  historically 
and  socially,  but  not  officially,  while  official  bureaucratic 
rank,  military  and  civil,  gave  one  certain  court  rights. 
This  was  impressed  on  me  at  once  by  my  mother-in-law, 
and  as  my  husband  at  twenty-four  was  a  lieutenant  only, 

223 


224  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

even  with  the  prestige  of  his  being  in  the  Empress  Dow- 
ager's own  Chevaliers-gardes,  and  with  all  the  pleasant 
relatives  and  our  social  position,  he  could  not  take  me 
to  court  nor  go  himself,  unless  he  should  be  ordered  there 
on  duty.  He  did  not  want  to  leave  his  regimental  ser- 
vice, so  it  looked  as  though  we  would  be  obHged  to  wait 
for  years  before  I  should  have  the  official  right  of  being 
presented  to  the  two  Empresses,  which  was,  of  course, 
the  first  step  to  court  recognition. 

In  the  lives  of  several  women  this  had  been  a  handi- 
cap during  all  their  youth,  I  heard;  but  I  was  more  for- 
tunate, and  almost  at  once  the  difficulty  was  cleared 
away  from  my  path.  First,  at  a  small  ball  at  the  palace 
of  the  Grand  Duke  Vladimir,  the  Grand  Duchess  Marie, 
our  hostess,  came  and  took  me  by  the  hand,  saying : 
"Come,  Joy,  I  have  been  talking  to  the  Empress  of  you, 
and  she  says  I  may  personally  present  you  to  her";  sol 
was  taken  up  to  where  the  yoimg  Empress  stood,  and 
the  Grand  Duchess  said  a  few  kindly  words,  and  pushed 
me  forward  into  the  Httle  empty  space  kept  clear  about 
the  sovereign.  The  latter  was  exceedingly  quiet  and 
timid.  After  two  or  three  perfunctory  questions,  which 
I  answered,  she  fell  into  her  usual  attitude  of  silent  dis- 
traction, so  I  curtseyed  and  wandered  off.  However,  I 
had  actually  talked  with  Her  Majesty,  which  made  every 
one  say  that  I  must  ask  a  formal  audience  at  once,  not 
only  of  the  Empresses  but  of  all  the  Grand  Duchesses 
as  well.  Once  one  had  bowed  before  Her  Majesty,  to 
neglect  these  latter  would  be  wrong,  apparently. 

Shortly  after  this  came  another  pleasant  surprise. 
Quite  from  a  blue  sky  I  received  a  letter  from  the  senior 
lady  in  waiting  of  the  Dowager  Empress,  who  said  the 
Duchess  of  Cumberland  had  written  asking  Her  Majesty 
to  receive  me  kindly,  as  my  parents  had  been  the  latter's 


FIRST  SOCIAL  IMPRESSIONS  225 

friends  in  Vienna.  Consequently  I  found  myself  one 
morning  called  to  an  audience  at  the  Anitchkoff  palace, 
the  residence  of  the  Empress-Mother.  The  latter  showed 
herself  as  gracious  as  she  always  was. 

The  news  of  all  this  irregularity  soon  spread  about. 
As  the  presentations  had  then  been  accomplished,  how- 
ever, I  received  invitations  to  a  number  of  cotirt  func- 
tions, and  forever  after  had  a  perfectly  ideal  time.  Of 
course  my  special  honors  raised  a  clamor,  since  a  num- 
ber of  women  similarly  situated  were  waiting  about,  on 
the  side-lines,  for  fate  and  years  to  bring  them  recogni- 
tion, while  I  was  invited  everywhere  and  enjoying  myself 
extremely. 

I  was  fortimate  in  several  other  ways.  Firstly,  my 
husband  had  grown  up  on  terms  of  constant  companion- 
ship with  several  of  the  younger  Grand  Dukes.  The 
Grand  Duchess  Marie  had  given  us  a  little  dinner  so  I 
should  know  all  these.  That  evening  the  Duke  of  Edin- 
burgh, brother  of  King  Edward  VII,  had  dropped  in  to 
the  party,  met  me,  and  told  every  one  present  my  family 
history,  and  how  he  had  met  my  grandfather  long  ago. 
When  he  had  finished  I  was  firmly  fixed,  with  all  my 
backgroimd  in  the  minds  of  those  present,  and  my  road 
became  socially  easy. 

Sponsored  thus,  and  being  young,  ftill  of  energy,  and 
with  a  great  desire  to  please  my  new  compatriots,  I  was 
able  to  take  my  place  immediately  among  the  gay  young 
matrons  of  the  imperial  capital. 

It  seems,  however,  that  the  yoimger  Empress,  after 
seeing  me,  had  said  to  some  one  that  my  ball-gown  was 
cut  in  a  deep  square  instead  of  the  classic  court  decollete, 
which  was  straight  across  and  off  the  shoulders.  This 
little  sentence  was  repeated  and  magnified  till  it  was 
made  into  a  severe  criticism  of  me  and  of  American  man- 


2^  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

ners  in  general.  It  amounted  to  nothing  after  a  week, 
but  at  the  time  it  made  me  more  prominent,  and  won 
sympathy  for  me.  I  forbore  from  complaining,  natu- 
rally; but  the  fact  that  there  were  many  women  present 
with  gowns  as  square  as  mine,  since  a  grand-ducal  enter- 
tainment was  coimted  a  private  ball,  made  the  blow  at 
a  well-meaning,  helpless  stranger  work  all  in  my  favor. 

Afterward  I  discovered  that  a  strained  feeling  existed 
between  the  women  of  St.  Petersburg's  aristocratic  group 
and  the  young  Empress.  It  had  developed  soon  after 
Her  Majesty's  arrival,  and  grew  rapidly,  encouraged  by 
the  wretched  plotters,  whose  game  it  was  to  control  their 
Empress  for  their  own  ends.  Following  the  incident  of  my 
gown,  four  or  five  young  women  deliberately  wore  square- 
cut  gowns  to  the  next  court  ball,  and  when  the  Empress's 
severe  remarks  were  repeated  to  the  town  the  culprits 
defended  themselves  with  some  energy.  Gossip  and  bit- 
terness followed,  all  of  which  seemed  both  amazing  and 
imnecessary,  but  showed  how  the  wind  blew  already  in 
1901. 

My  husband's  regimental  comrades  and  their  wives 
were,  many  of  them,  about  our  age,  and  they  made  room 
for  me  in  their  midst  with  a  hospitable  enthusiasm  which 
went  straight  to  my  heart.  As  the  first  regiment  of  the 
empire  the  Chevaliers-gardes  represented  the  pick  of 
Russia's  young  sportsmen,  and  the  jeunesse  doree  of  St. 
Petersburg's  social  life  all  followed  the  lead  of  these 
officers.  The  Dowager  Empress  was  our  honorary  com- 
mander, and  came  to  the  regiment  f^tes  in  a  pretty  uni- 
form, consisting  of  a  dark-blue  cloth  skirt  like  the  ma- 
terial of  our  officers'  trousers,  with  a  white  silver-braided 
uniform  coat  (fitting  her  still  ideal  figure  to  perfection). 
She  wore  on  her  head,  instead  of  the  officers'  metal  hel- 
met, a  little  close  white  cap  with  a  small  tuft  of  pure 


FIRST  SOCUL  IMPRESSIONS  227 

white  ostrich  feathers.  Her  proud  carriage  made  all  this 
very  becoming,  and  her  manner  with  the  officers  and  us 
women  was  perfection.  She  was  always  popular  every- 
where, it  seemed,  but  in  the  regiment  she  was  especially 
admired.  It  was  whispered  about,  on  the  other  hand, 
that  the  yoimg  Empress  disliked  the  Chevaliers-gardes, 
because  they  belonged  to  her  mother-in-law;  also  that 
she  was  jealous  since  her  mother-in-law  had  the  com- 
mand of  the  first  of  Russia's  regiments,  and  that  she  was 
always  ill  disposed  toward  members  of  our  group.  It 
sounded  as  if  relations  were  a  good  deal  strained  between 
the  Emperor's  mother  and  his  wife;  but  though  this  may 
have  been  the  case,  I  never  saw  any  indication  of  it,  and 
I  put  these  nmiors  down  to  gossip. 

My  first  years  in  St.  Petersbtu*g,  till  the  outbreak  of 
the  Japanese  War,  were  the  most  brilliant  socially  I  saw 
there.  The  Empress-Mother  did  not  appear  often,  but 
when  she  did  so,  she  took  first  place  at  court.  She  wore 
black  gowns  always  to  mark  her  widowhood,  but  she 
usually  had  them  covered  with  jet  which  scintillated; 
and  decorated  as  was  the  upper  part  of  her  dress  with 
"orders"  and  splendid  jewels,  she  did  not  suggest  any- 
thing sombre.  Her  conversation  was  as  gay  and  agree- 
able as  she  herself  was.  Putting  each  one  at  his  ease, 
she  seemed  most  human  and  womanly,  an  inspiration  to 
do  one's  best,  whether  in  the  performance  of  serious  duty 
or  merely  in  the  telling  of  some  nonsensical  tale  which 
would  make  her  and  others  laugh.  She  had  kept  about 
her  a  lot  of  quite  intimate  friends  who  felt  and  showed 
for  her  sincere  affection,  and  this  she  repaid  in  kind. 
Her  manner  was  exactly  that  of  her  sister,  the  Duchess 
of  Cumberland,  and  I  felt  somehow  I  had  always  known 
her.  She  received  in  a  large  red  damask-hung  and  dam- 
ask-furnished salon,  with  quantities  of  flowers  about  her. 


228  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

It  had  a  double-sized  bay  window ;  so  as  much  Hght  as  a 
winter  day  in  St.  Petersburg  offered  could  be  enjoyed. 
Pretty  ornaments  covered  scattered  tables,  and  most  of 
these  things  looked  like  souvenirs,  the  kind  a  woman 
gathers  through  life.  Though  nearly  all  the  trifles  were 
luxurious,  they  suggested  intimacy  and  sentiment  rather 
than  money.  The  atmosphere  of  cosiness  and  warmth 
was  tmderscored  by  Her  Majesty's  cordial  reception. 

The  Anitchkoff  is  a  large  palace  of  a  bad  period — 
i860  or  thereabouts,  I  think.  Its  entrance-hall  was 
vastly  high,  overheavy  in  its  decoration,  the  staircase 
long  and  wearisome  to  moimt,  but  made  attractive  by  a 
wonderful  series  of  Hubert  Robert's  panels,  the  best  I 
have  ever  seen.  I  traversed  a  nimiber  of  severe,  classic 
reception-rooms,  fitted  with  paintings,  mirrors,  bronzes, 
and  statues,  where  a  little  furniture  was  stiffly  arranged. 
I  was  told  this  palace  was  last  done  over  for  the  wedding 
of  the  present  Empress-Mother  to  the  then  heir  to  the 
throne,  some  fifty  odd  years  back.  The  couple  had  still 
lived  at  home  there,  even  when  Alexander  III  inherited 
his  crown,  and  they  went  over  to  the  Winter  Palace  only 
for  functions,  continuing  to  entertain  their  friends  and 
bring  up  their  children  in  this  frame,  which  was  their  per- 
sonal creation.  Souvenirs  of  their  travels  and  of  the 
small  events  of  their  unofficial  life  filled  it. 

In  the  largest  reception-room  I  found  the  grand  mis- 
tress and  grand  master  of  the  Empress-Mother's  court 
and  two  ladies  in  waiting,  with  a  master  of  ceremonies. 
Two  or  three  other  women  who  had  had,  or  were  to  have, 
audiences  were  also  there,  and  our  small  talk  was  con- 
ventional. I  was  the  newest  interest  to  their  circle,  it 
appeared,  and  evidently  its  members  were  very  curious 
as  to  the  reasons  for  my  being  presented  to  our  Em- 
presses when  I  had  no  "official  rights."     They  had  heard 


FIRST  SOCIAL  IMPRESSIONS  229 

from  Her  Majesty  of  the  letter  from  Vienna,  and  all  that, 
but  were  glad  to  have  a  few  moments  in  which  to  put  a 
certain  number  of  discreet  questions.  I  had  not  quite 
finished  answering  all  these  when  a  huge  negro,  dressed 
in  a  multicolored  Venetian  costume  of  the  sixteenth  or 
seventeenth  century,  opened  the  door  to  an  inner  room, 
and  ushered  out  a  lady  who  had  finished  her  audience. 

The  master  of  ceremonies  next  escorted  me  to  the 
door  and  the  black,  decorative,  smiling  doorkeeper  threw 
it  open  again  in  silence.  When  I  had  made  a  curtsey 
on  the  threshold  and  another  as  I  kissed  the  Empress's 
small  hand,  all  ceremony  seemed  at  an  end.  The  Em- 
press wore  but  two  rings,  I  noticed — a  great,  beautiful, 
polished  ruby  and  her  wedding-ring.  Over  her  simple 
black  gown  she  wore  two  fine  long  strings  of  pearls. 
Afterward  I  was  told  these  were  some  Alexander  III  had 
personally  given  his  wife,  which  she  used  constantly,  in 
preference  to  the  many  strings  of  larger  pearls  she  owned. 

Her  Majesty  asked  me  to  sit  down.  There  were  sev- 
eral comfortable  chairs,  with  little  tables  by  them.  The 
latter  seemed  covered  with  bits  of  old  silver,  tiny  animals 
carved  in  precious  stones  by  Faberge,  or  various  enamels 
of  his  making,  a  small  clock  among  others — things  such 
as  any  one  might  have  in  a  sitting-room;  and  the  Em- 
press herself  looked  at  home  here.  She  took  a  chair  and 
pointed  me  to  one  just  beyond.  Then  she  asked  me  a 
lot  of  questions  about  my  parents,  home  country,  and 
our  Vienna  life.  Incidentally,  I  was  able  to  tell  her  a 
little  of  her  sister.  It  was  to  me  a  pleasant  half-hoiir, 
one  I  always  remembered.  I  was  extremely  touched  by 
the  simple  kindness  this  greatest  lady  in  Russia  took 
pains  to  show  a  young  stranger,  who  still  had  her  way  to 
make  in  a  new  coimtry.  When  the  time  came  for  me 
to  go,  the  Empress-Mother  rose,  and  I  again  kissed  her 


230  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

hand  and  made  my  curtsey.  She  said  good-by,  and  that 
she  felt  sure  I  would  like  Russia;  also  that  she  would 
see  me  often  probably;  all  this  with  a  gentle,  low  voice 
and  pretty  smile.  It  was  easy  to  realize  why  people 
were  devoted  to  this  womanly  sovereign.  Afterward  I 
saw  Her  Majesty  frequently — sometimes  at  a  parade,  or 
carrousel  in  the  regimental  group,  or  at  a  court  ball, 
sometimes  at  a  dinner-party,  at  the  Grand  Duchess 
Marie's,  or  at  the  Grand  Duchess  Xenia's.  Always  at 
least  a  pleasant  word  and  a  sweet  smile  were  my  share 
of  her  attention,  and  always  it  was  a  happiness  to  be 
near  her  person. 

Once  her  kindly  attitude  and  tact  saved  me  in  a  very 
painful  and  false  situation,  which  I  owed  to  the  German 
Crown  Prince.  The  latter — I  think  in  the  season  of 
1902 — came  to  St.  Petersburg  for  a  week's  visit.  It  was 
at  a  time  when  the  German  Emperor  was  trying  to  win 
ours  over,  and  when  he  was  harping  on  the  fact  of  his 
first-cousinship  with  our  yoimg  ^Empress — the  Kaiser's 
mother  and  the  mother  of  our]^Empress  were  both  daugh- 
ters of  Queen  Victoria:  the  Princess  Royal  and  Princess 
Alice  of  England. 

The  German  Kaiser  hit  on  the  plan  of  sending  his  eld- 
est son,  then  still  unmarried,  out  to  Russia  to  visit  the 
regiment  of  which  Wilhelm  II  was  honorary  commander, 
and  to  spend  a  week  at  our  court.  Our  Emperor  attached 
to  the  Crown  Prince  three  officers  with  a  number  of 
minor  secretaries,  as  the  visit  was  official.  At  the  head 
of  this  group  was  old  Prince  Dolgorouky,  one  of  our 
Emperor's  "adjutant-generals,"  then  a  "general  of  the 
imperial  suite."  Further  because  the  visitor  was  young 
and  a  sportsman,  and  because  he  spoke  no  Russian  and 
hated  to  use  French,  my  husband  was  chosen,  together 
with  an  A.  D.  C.  of  His  Majesty,  as  attendants. 


FIRST  SOCIAL  IMPRESSIONS  231 

Cantacuz^ne,  one  of  the  best  horsemen  in  Russia  and 
a  keen  polo-player,  attracted  young  Wilhelm.  Their 
conversation  was  always  in  English,  which  Wilhelm 
liked,  and  used  with  great  facility.  He  and  my  husband 
got  on  excellently. 

The  delegation  went  to  the  frontier  in  the  imperial 
special  train,  to  meet  the  distinguished  visitor  and  bring 
him  to  St.  Petersburg.  Our  Russians  were  greatly  im- 
pressed with  the  discipline  and  training  the  Crown  Prince 
had  been  given.  On  no  occasion  did  he  show  signs  of 
boredom,  and  when  he  held  official  receptions  he  found 
themes  for  discussion  as  well  as  amiable  compliments  for 
the  least  interesting  of  those  people  who  were  presented 
to  him.  The  young  boy  patiently  made  the  trip  into  the 
provinces,  to  the  garrison  where  the  Kaiser's  regiment 
was  quartered,  and  made  his  proper  speeches  to  its  offi- 
cers. He  also  patiently  talked  or  listened  to  the  two 
elderly  generals  attached  to  him,  taking  great  pains  to 
please  them,  and  succeeding  perfectly,  for  I  heard  each 
one  of  them  comment  on  the  admirable  education  the 
Kaiser  gave  his  sons.  Cantacuzene  thought  the  Crown 
Prince  had  a  disagreeable  face  but  a  good  manner,  and 
in  all  branches  of  sports  they  really  found  a  lot  in  com- 
mon. The  Crown  Prince  clung  to  Cantacuzene,  who  was 
the  only  young  member  of  the  group  of  Russians  attached 
to  him. 

Among  the  Germans  in  attendance  on  the  Crown 
Prince  was  General  von]  Moltke,  afterward  Wilhelm's 
chief  of  staff  in  the  World  War.  There  were  a  lot  of 
highly  titled  officers  who  wore  very  tightly  fitted  uni- 
forms. All  of  them  were  big,  red-faced  men,  and  none 
of  them  were  much  liked  by  our  Russians  because  of 
their  stiffness  and  artificial  politeness.  I  do  not  think 
any  woman  among  us  looked  at  them  twice;  certainly  no 


232  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

one  wasted  time  discussing  them.  They  were  completely 
heavy  and  dull. 

When  the  Crown  Prince  reached  St.  Petersburg  he  was 
established  at  the  Winter  Palace  with  his  German  and 
his  Russian  suites  in  attendance.  There  was  to  be  a  ball 
given  for  him  at  the  German  Embassy,  and  one  at  the 
Winter  Palace,  while  a  third  and  smaller  dance  was 
arranged  by  the  old  Grand  Duke  Michael,  the  last  of 
Alexander  IPs  brothers  still  alive.  The  Grand  Duke 
was  a  magnificent  personage,  well  over  seventy,  who  for 
some  reason  of  relationship — perhaps  because  he  already 
knew  his  granddaughter  Cecilie  was  to  become  the  Crown 
Prince's  bride — ^felt  he  should  throw  open  his  palace  in 
honor  of  the  young  visitor. 

After  his  first  court  dinner  and  an  afternoon  official 
call  at  the  German  Embassy,  the  Crown  Prince  unfor- 
tunately had  fallen  ill  with  a  sharp  case  of  influenza.  It 
kept  him  in  bed  nearly  a  week,  and  this  broke  up  the 
court  ball,  which  was  countermanded.  The  German 
Embassy  ball  came  off  without  him.  The  old  Grand 
Duke  Michael  did  not  recall  his  invitations,  either,  and 
happily  for  himself  the  Crown  Prince  was  able  to  attend. 
The  palace  of  old  Michael-Nicolaiovitch  on  the  river- 
bank  was  one  of  the  most  spacious  and  finest  in  St. 
Petersburg.  Courtly  and  handsome,  with  his  tall,  well- 
proportioned  figure,  the  host  stood  at  the  head  of  his 
staircase  alone  to  receive  his  guests,  of  whom  just  enough 
to  fill  his  rooms  without  crowding  were  invited.  As  each 
one  of  us  came  up  and  curtseyed,  his  air  and  words  as  well 
as  his  graceful  bow  and  cordial  hand-shake  gave  a  sen- 
sation of  sincere  welcome.  For  some  of  us  the  Grand 
Duke  even  found  pretty  compliments  to  pay  on  our 
gowns.  Every  woman  was  glad  to  have  worn  her  best 
for  such  a  smart  little  function. 


FIRST  SOCIAL  IMPRESSIONS  283 

The  Empress-Mother  came  to  her  uncle's  party,  the 
Emperor  and  his  wife  also — a  rare  honor,  for  during  the 
fourteen  years  between  my  marriage  and  the  Great  War 
I  do  not  think  they  graced  parties  given  in  the  capital 
more  than  five  or  six  times.  All  the  Grand  Dukes  and 
Grand  Duchesses  came,  of  course.  Beyond  the  members 
of  the  imperial  family  and  their  courts  in  attendance, 
there  was  no  guest  who  was  not  of  the  gay,  ultra-smart 
set  of  young,  married  dancers,  with  the  best  of  the  crack 
guard  regiment's  bachelor  officers  added  for  extra  part- 
ners. The  floor  was  perfection,  the  gypsy  orchestra  the 
best  in  the  capital.  My  husband,  being  attached  to  the 
Crown  Prince,  was  living  at  the  Winter  Palace  and  was 
to  arrive  with  the  latter's  suite.  So  I  went  alone,  and 
found  a  number  of  guests  already  assembled.  Every  one 
had  to  be  there  before  our  imperial  family  or  the  Crown 
Prince  made  their  appearance.  The  German  Embassy 
members  all  came,  the  only  diplomats  invited.  Only  the 
Ambassador  and  Count  Luttwitz,  the  military  attache, 
were  married  men.  Countess  Alvensleben  was  said  to  be 
an  intimate  friend  of  the  German  Kaiser.  She  was  quite 
old  and  plain,  dressed  atrociously,  was  very  dry  in  her 
manner,  and  did  everything  by  rule.  She  even  arranged 
her  hair  stiffly  with  a  green  erection  on  top  which  we 
disrespectful  youngsters  called  a  tennis-net,  and  she  had 
a  way  of  sa3ring  "Nun,  also!"  before  beginning  a  sen- 
tence, even  in  English  or  French,  which  caused  us  all 
great  joy.  She  was  rather  easily  annoyed  and  tried  to 
dictate  to  us.  The  little  Luttwitz  woman  was  American 
bom,  but  had  become  so  German  that  she  spoke  her 
mother  tongue  with  German  construction  of  phrase,  and 
called  her  husband  '*my  man"  in  English!  Luttwitz 
was  most  unpopular  and  we  always  felt  sorry  for  his 
wife;  but  her  German  affectations  got  on  the  nerves  of 


234  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

a  good  many  who,  like  myself,  tried  to  be  nice  to  her 
at  first. 

As  I  came  into  the  great  ballroom  there  was  loud  talk 
in  a  group  at  one  side  of  the  door,  and  I  turned  toward 
the  commotion  with  curiosity,  leaving  Prince  Obolensky, 
who  had  just  been  reminding  me  of  our  engagement  to 
dance  the  mazurka  and  be  partners  for  supper.  Count- 
ess Alvensleben  was  holding  forth,  and  on  the  outside 
edge  of  the  shifting  women  Countess  Luttwitz  turned 
around  and  said  to  me  in  English:  "We  are  just  arrang- 
ing the  women,  so  we  can  take  them  up  and  present  them 
to  our  Crown  Prince  when  he  arrives  with  Their  Majes- 
ties. Won't  you  come  too?  You  are  one  of  the  best 
dancers,  and  I  am  sure  .woiild  like  to  be  presented  to  His 
Imperial  Highness." 

I  promptly  replied  that  if  he  danced  well,  I  should  like 
very  much  to  have  the  Crown  Prince  presented  to  me, 
but  I  did  not  expect  to  be  presented  to  him.  "I've  never 
been  presented  to  any  man.  Our  Czarevitch  is  always 
introduced  to  ladies  like  any  other  gentleman." 

"But  it  is  not  the  German  court  etiquette;  and  the 
Crown  Prince  would  be  stirprised  to  have  things  other- 
wise. He  will  not  dance  with  you  if  you  are  not  prop- 
erly presented  to  him  by  Countess  Alvensleben,"  in- 
sisted the  little  Countess,  beginning  to  look  hot. 

It  struck  me  as  supremely  fimny  that  this  American 
woman  should  have  reached  such  a  mental  attitude,  and 
with  a  laugh  I  replied:  "My  dear  Countess,  this  isn't 
Berlin,  this  is  St.  Petersburg,  and  our  etiquette  says  the 
gentlemen  of  Russia  ask  to  be  presented  to  us.  I  am 
told  by  my  husband  that  your  Crown  Prince  is  most 
polite ;  I  fancy,  therefore,  he  will  follow  our  customs  dur- 
ing his  visit.  If  not,  and  if  in  order  to  dance  with  him 
I  have  to  wait  in  a  line  and  be  presented  to  him,  I  am 


FIRST  SOCUL  IMPRESSIONS  235 

quite  sure  I  shall  be  content  to  enjoy  this  ball  with  my 
Russian  partners.  So  please  don't  have  me  on  your 
mind  at  all."  And  I  moved  over  to  the  far  side  of  the 
ballroom  without  waiting  for  her  answer.  Afterward  I 
was  told  that  the  Countess  Luttwitz  said  she  did  not 
think  me  rude,  but  she  and  others  thought  me  indiffer- 
ent !  I  felt  like  inquiring  did  she  mean  about  her  Crown 
Prince  ?     But  I  refrained. 

A  number  of  other  women  joined  me  and  we  stood  as 
far  from  the  entrance-door  as  possible.  We  still  were 
there,  when  the  music  struck  up,  and  in  the  doorway 
appeared  all  the  royalties;  among  them  the  Emperor's 
brother  Michael,  who  was  one  of  my  favorite  partners 
always,  and  a  perfect  dancer.  He  came  across  the  room, 
and  took  me  out  for  the  opening  waltz.  When  we  fin- 
ished it  he  invited  me  to  be  his  partner  for  the  mazurka; 
then  he  said:  "I'm  going  to  bring  our  cousin  and  intro- 
duce him  to  you.  You  will  like  him,  and  he  dances 
awfiilly  well." 

He  went  and  fetched  Wilhelm  from  the  crowd  at  the 
door  and  brought  him  straight  to  our  side  of  the  ball- 
room, introduced  him  quite  informally  to  me  and  then 
to  all  the  other  women  who  had  followed  me  over  there. 
The  Crown  Prince  showed  no  sign  of  shock  at  this  breach 
of  etiquette,  and  being,  for  the  first  time  since  his  arrival, 
in  young,  gay  company,  he  proved  his  enthusiasm  and  his 
admirable  qualities  as  a  dancer  at  once.  He  asked  me 
to  waltz  and  I  accepted,  feeling  a  wicked  joy  as  we 
passed  the  comer  where  the  ladies  from  Germany  stood 
looking  with  stony  expressions  at  my  excellent  partner 
and  me.  We  circled  several  times  in  their  neighborhood. 
Naturally  they  were  cross,  especially  as  Wilhelm,  hav- 
ing also  asked  me  to  be  his  partner  for  the  maztirka,  and 
hearing   I   was   already   engaged   to   the   Grand   Duke 


236  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

Michael,  went  off  and  arranged  for  the  latter  to  waive 
his  rights  in  the  guest's  favor,  since  this  was  to  be  the 
Crown  Prince's  single  ball  in  Russia. 

Everything  went  swimmingly;  I  danced  every  moment 
till  supper-time,  which  I  was  to  take  at  a  gay  little  table, 
arranged  by  Prince  Obolensky,  my  partner.  The  Crown 
Prince  was  designated  to  sit  on  the  right  of  the  Empress- 
Mother  at  her  table,  since  he  was  the  guest  of  honor. 
Some  important  old  lady  was  to  be  on  his  other  hand. 
Prince  Dolgorouky  came  up  to  us,  explained  the  plan, 
and  said  as  the  Empress-Mother  would  be  placed  next 
our  host,  Wilhelm  must  join  the  other  lady  and  escort 
her  to  supper.  The  arrogant  petulance  of  the  young 
German  showed  for  the  first  time.  **I  won't;  I  have 
already  asked  a  partner,  the  Princess  here,  and  she  must 
come  with  me  to  Her  Majesty's  table!"  he  exclaimed. 

I  then  ventured  to  take  part  in  the  conversation. 
"Really,  Sir,  I  couldn't  sup  with  you;  firstly,  because  I 
wouldn't  for  the  world  intrude  at  the  table  of  the  Em- 
press-Mother; secondly,  because  I  mustn't  drop  out  of 
my  own  party,  and  here  is  Prince  Obolensky  come  for 
me.  So  thank  you  and  au  revoir";  and  I  moved  my 
hand  from  within  his  arm  and  turned  toward  my  wait- 
ing supper  partner. 

The  Crown  Prince  seized  my  hand,  so  I  could  not 
withdraw  it,  and  turning  to  the  old  Prince  Dolgorouky, 
said  quite  rudely:  "I  told  you,  I  won't;  either  the  Prin- 
cess comes  to  this  table  where  I  sit,  or  I  won't  go.  Ar- 
range it  as  you  can." 

I  protested  with  some  energy:  "Really,  Sir,  it  is  im- 
possible to  change  the  plans  of  our  host.  You  are  leav- 
ing and  will  not  feel  the  consequences,  whereas  I,  who 
belong  here,  will  be  accused  of  having  attempted  to  push 
myself  forward,  and  I  cannot  consent  to  that.  You 
must  excuse  me." 


FIRST  SOCIAL  IMPRESSIONS  237 

The  Crown  Prince  looked  furious,  and  protested  again 
so  crossly  that  old  Prince  Dolgorouky,  who  was  an  ac- 
complished cotirtier,  turned  to  me,  saying:  *'Will  you 
remain  with  His  Imperial  Highness  while  I  see  what  can 
be  done?" 

People  were  going  to  the  dining-hall,  and,  of  course, 
save  this  headstrong  guest,  the  royalties  must  have  been 
all  seated  by  that  time;  but  I  knew  I  could  count  on 
Prince  Dolgorouky's  tact  and  kindness,  and  my  original 
partner  had  assisted  at  the  little  scene  and  understood. 

He  smilingly  said  to  me:  "I  will  stay  with  you  till  the 
question  is  well  settled." 

Wilhelm  at  once  replied:  **It  is  settled;  take  my  arm. 
Princess,  and  come  with  me  to  supper." 

As  Prince  Dolgorouky  had  disappeared  in  that  direc- 
tion, it  seemed  to  promise  a  rapid  solution  to  go  to  meet 
him;  so  I  again  took  the  Crown  Prince's  arm.  He  was 
too  ruffled  to  talk,  and  I  was  seriously  annoyed  by  my 
situation.  I  desired  nothing  more  than  to  escape  with 
Obolensky,  who  remained  quite  near,  where  I  could 
transfer  to  him  at  a  moment's  notice. 

We  reached  the  door,  and  I  really  felt  I  should  like  to 
cry.  I  seemed  helpless  to  handle  my  arrogant  com- 
panion. But  we  met  Prince  Dolgorouky  returning  toward 
us,  and  he  said:  '*Will  you  come  to  this  table  where  Her 
Majesty  is  ?  One  of  the  Grand  Duchesses  has  ceded 
you  her  seat,"  he  added,  turning  toward  me. 

The  Crown  Prince  at  last  let  my  arm  loose,  and,  as  we 
approached,  the  Empress-Mother  looked  up  and  smiled; 
Wilhelm  bowed  low  over  her  hand  and  I  curtseyed.  She 
stretched  me  her  hand,  and  I  kissed  it.  Looking  amused, 
she  said  to  him,  "Will  you  sit  here?"  and  to  me,  "Sit 
just  beyond." 

I  moved  away  from  her  chair  and  around  the  Crown 


^ 


238  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

Prince's,  reaching  the  rear  of  the  one  which  the  Empress 
had  pointed  to,  when  to  my  own  and  every  one's  amaze- 
ment old  Coimtess  Alvensleben,  appearing  out  of  space, 
stepped  between  the  table  and  my  chair,  and  plumped 
herself  down  into  it,  saying:  "Nun,  also!  Dass  ist  jetzt 
mein  Platz!"     (Well,  now,  this  is  my  place.) 

The  Empress-Mother  looked  as  if  her  merriment  would 
get  beyond  control,  and  the  Crown  Prince  looked  as  if 
an  explosion  of  violent  temper  was  to  occur.  I  felt  I 
should  certainly  cry  in  another  moment.  One  of  the 
gentlemen  who  was  two  seats  from  the  German  Am- 
bassadress rose. 

"Princess,  sit  here,"  he  said.  "With  Her  Majesty's 
permission  I  can  easily  move  to  another  table  and  you 
must  take  my  place." 

"Yes,  sit  there,"  the  Empress  said,  and  gave  the 
charming  Russian  courtier  and  me  a  radiant  smile. 

The  supper  was  sadder  than  would  have  been  the  one 
I  had  planned  with  Obolensky,  but  I  talked  with  Prince 
Dolgorouky,  who  was  between  me  and  Countess  Alvens- 
leben, and  who  was  looking  greatly  entertained. 

Forever  after  Prince  Dolgorotiky  had  a  lovely  time 
attacking  me  about  the  way  I  put  people's  supper 
arrangements  out  of  commission.  He  did  not  have 
much  to  say  to  the  German  Ambassadress  that  night, 
and  the  Crown  Prince  never  once  spoke  to  her  either.  I 
did  not  look  at  the  latter,  nor  did  I  recover  my  spirits  till 
toward  the  end  of  the  meal. 

At  dessert  I  heard  the  Crown  Prince  say:  "Princess 
Cantacuz^ne,  Princess  Cantacuzene  ! " 

Prince  Dolgorouky  suavely  remarked,  "I  believe  His 
Imperial  Highness  is  speaking  to  you,  dear  Princess," 
and  as  I  turned  that  way :  "  I  have  been  trying  to  attract 
your  attention  for  a  long  time  to  drink  your  health, 


FIRST  SOCIAL  IMPRESSIONS  239 

Princess, "  said  the  Crown  Prince,  and  he  added  some 
conventional  compliment. 

I  wondered  if  Coimtess  Alvensleben  was  enjoying  her- 
self less  than  I  was  ?  She  looked  deadly,  and  I  expected 
gossip  to  follow  my  trail.  Of  course  there  was  some 
talk,  but  it  soon  died  out,  for  Her  Majesty  was  afterward 
as  lovely  as  she  had  been  in  the  sudden  emergency,  while 
Prince  Dolgorouky  told  the  story  truthfully  and  amus- 
ingly, advantageously  to  me,  bringing  out  the  arrogance 
of  our  young  visitor.  I  had  already  a  host  of  friends  in 
St.  Petersburg  by  that  time,  and  they  would  not  have 
believed  me  apt  to  put  myself  forward,  or  inclined  to 
shove  myself  into  a  party  at  the  Empress-Mother's  table, 
even  had  they  heard  I  tried  to  do  so. 

For  years,  though,  whenever  I  saw  Her  Majesty,  the 
latter  would  ask  me  if  I  had  news  of  the  Crown  Prince, 
and  once  she  said,  "I  never  will  forget  his  face  and  man- 
ner that  evening,  when  Countess  Alvensleben  suddenly 
took  your  chair !"  and  she  laughed.  I  was  always  grate- 
ful the  Empress  was  so  gracious  and  had  such  a  sense  of 
humor. 

Through  years  following  this,  each  ist  of  January 
brought  us  a  telegram  of  greeting,  or  some  souvenir,  from 
the  Crown  Prince:  a  small  painting  of  himself  on  horse- 
back, a  photograph  of  him  with  his  fiancee,  three  or  four 
water-colors  showing  the  ancient  uniforms  his  regiments 
had  worn,  a  picture  of  his  eldest  son.  Once  when  I  went 
through  Berlin,  His  Imperial  Highness,  learning  I  was 
there,  called  me  on  the  telephone  and  invited  me  to  "go 
with  my  wife  and  me  to  the  play  and  to  supper."  I 
accepted,  and  they  came  to  fetch  me  with  the  utmost 
informality,  the  Crown  Prince  descending  and  coming 
into  the  hotel  after  me  and  returning  me  later  to  my 
door.     That  was  a  quiet,  pleasant  little  party.     I  felt 


24.0  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

surprised  at  the  simplicity  of  their  life,  and  at  the  ap- 
parently agreeable  relations  between  the  pair.  They, 
his  brother  Auguste  Wilhelm  and  the  latter's  wife  (both 
fat  and  deadly  dull),  with  an  aide-de-camp  and  myself, 
composed  the  party  of  six.  We  sat  in  upholstered  arm- 
chairs, placed  in  that  space  where  ordinarily  in  our  thea- 
tres the  first  row  of  the  orchestra  would  be.  They  had 
chosen  Samurun,  a  pantomime,  so  I  would  not  have  to 
be  bored  listening  to  German  talk,  which  they  thought 
I  did  not  tmderstand.  Supper  was  served  between  the 
acts  in  an  attractive  little  dining-room  in  the  theatre 
building.  The  Crown  Prince  was  amiable  with  his  wife 
that  night  and  they  seemed  a  congenial  couple.  A  year 
or  so  later,  when  they  visited  Russia,  I  had  the  same 
impression  again.  I  heard  much  gossip,  however,  tend- 
ing to  contradict  this,  and  I  could  not  forget  the  pettish- 
ness  he  had  shown  at  that  ball  long  before.  I  could 
more  readily  believe  in  his  defects  than  his  virtues,  so 
when  the  war  came  I  had  no  scruple  in  throwing  away 
or  turning  to  the  wall  the  various  souvenirs  he  had  sent 
us  during  ten  or  twelve  years. 

The  Crown  Prince  was  to  do  me  one  more  ill  turn, 
however,  which  might  have  ended  badly  had  it  not  been 
for  Russian  chivalry  and  intelligence.  It  was  in  the 
early  part  of  February,  191 5,  that  one  day  I  was  asked 
for  on  the  telephone  by  General  Rauch,  an  old  and  prized 
friend  of  ours,  and  at  that  time  one  of  the  important  men 
in  the  departmental  command  of  the  capital.  He  begged 
me  to  receive  him  at  once  and  alone.  I  acquiesced,  of 
course,  wondering  at  his  strange  request;  and  when 
within  a  few  minutes  he  appeared  he  looked  more  anxious 
and  solemn  than  I  had  ever  seen  him  before.  Often  it 
happened  that  people  we  knew  came  to  me,  asking  to 
have  some  message  passed  on  to  the  Grand  Duke  Nicolas 


FIBST  SOCIAL  IMPRESSIONS  Ul 

by  my  husband,  who  was  temporarily  his  aide-de-camp, 
and  who  held  a  rather  filial  position  with  his  chief.  Can- 
tacuz^ne  had  stayed  at  headquarters  during  his  conva- 
lescence from  his  wotmd,  and  as  he  and  I  were  both 
known  to  be  discreet,  and  our  letters  went  back  and 
forth  by  the  grand  duke*s  private  courier  (not  subject 
to  the  censorship) ,  we  were  used  this  way  frequently.  I 
fancied  General  Ranch,  knowing  us  well  and  being  a 
faithful  friend  of  the  grand  duke,  might  wish  to  make 
some  commimication,  so  I  said:  "What  is  the  secret, 
dear  general  ?     Can  I  do  you  any  service  ?  '* 

"No,"  he  answered,  "except  by  replying  to  a  few  ques- 
tions. Were  you  expecting  any  mail  from  any  one 
abroad?" 

I  began  to  enumerate  the  various  members  of  my 
family  who  regularly  wrote  to  me,  but  Ranch  inter- 
rupted: "You  have  no  correspondent  in  Germany?" 
"No,"  I  said. 

"Can  you  tell  me  then  what  this  is?"  he  asked,  and 
he  drew  a  large  envelope  from  his  despatch-case.  "Per- 
haps it  is  addressed  to  some  one  else  ? " 

I  took  the  big  envelope  and  read  the  address.  "I  am 
the  only  Princess  Cantacuzene,  nee  Grant.  It  is  for  me 
and  is  peculiarly  addressed;  it  says  only  'St.  Petersburg, 
via  Rumania.*  I  didn't  know  mail  still  came  through. 
It  has  a  large  red  seal  with  'W'  and  the  German  imperial 
crown.  Yes,  I  can  tell  you  without  looking  further  what 
you  will  find  in  this,  general,  if  you  open  it;  it  will  be  a 
portrait  of  the  Crown  Prince  of  Germany,  or  a  picture 
of  something  which  concerns  him.  He  sends  me  some 
such  souvenir  each  year,  for  the  ist  of  January.  I  had 
not  had  one  this  year,  but  I  confess  I  thought  it  was 
because  His  Imperial  Highness  had  intelligence  and  chiv- 
alry sufficient  to  realize  that  in  war-time  his  remem- 


242  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

brance  would  be  obnoxious  and,  possibly,  compromising. 
Perhaps  this  was  sent  me  through  the  stupidity  of  some 
secretary  left  in  charge  in  Berlin,  who  forwards  these 
things  for  the  Crown  Prince  each  year,  and  has  this  sea- 
son used  his  habitual  list  without  corrections." 

Ranch  examined  the  envelope  with  care.  **No,  this 
bears  the  stamp  of  the  'Fifth  Army,'  which  is  the  one 
young  Wilhelm  now  conmiands  on  the  western  front. 
Also,  it  bears  the  signatiu*e  of  his  Hofmarschall — ^marshal 
of  his  court.  I'm  afraid  it  is  sent  by  the  Crown  Prince 
himself.  What  do  you  think  you  better  do  about  it  ? 
The  big  envelope  arrived  this  morning  at  the  censor's 
and  made  a  sensation.  The  matter  was  brought  to  the 
chief  there,  who  rang  up  our  department,  as  he  knew 
enough  to  realize  he  mustn't  accuse  you  lightly.  I  asked 
to  handle  the  matter — said  I  would  take  it  off  his  hands. 
I  am  satisfied  (if  you  tell  me  you  have  not  received  or 
written  a  letter)  that  you  are  telling  the  truth,  and  I  will 
satisfy  the  chief  at  the  censor  bureau.  This  is  my  end 
of  the  business,  but  I  should  like  to  know  what  you  are 
going  to  do  yourself  about  it  ?" 

I  said,  firstly,  I  would  make  him  a  present  of  the  pic- 
tiu*e,  which  he  promptly  declined;  secondly,  I  would  at 
once  write  the  whole  history  to  my  husband,  asking  him 
to  inform  the  commander-in-chief,  so  that  if  the  latter 
ever  heard  the  story  from  another  source,  he  would  not 
think  I  had  tried  to  hide  it;  thirdly,  I  would  tell  Prince 
Orloff,  also,  so  he  would  be  in  possession  of  the  facts,  in 
case  Madame  Wiroboff  had  the  story  from  her  spies  and 
tried  to  use  it  to  my  detriment.  It  would  be  so  easy  for 
her  to  say :  * '  People  are  teUing  of  Soukhomlinoff 's  treach- 
ery— here  is  the  wife  of  an  aide-de-camp  to  the  ultra- 
Russian  grand  duke  who  corresponds  with  Germans; 
and  so  on!"    And  I  would  need  a  strong  defender,  in- 


FIRST  SOCIAL  IMPRESSIONS  24S 

deed,  at  court  to  stand  up  for  my  loyalty.  None  could 
be  better  than  Orloff ,  though,  whom  the  Emperor  knew 
to  be  absolutely  truthful. 

Finally  I  said:  "Dear  general,  if  you  won't  accept  this 
as  a  gift,  to  whom  shall  I  offer  it  ?  I  don't  want  it  in  the 
house." 

And  Rauch  replied:  **I  think  all  your  measures  are 
wise.  Suppose  you  ask  yoiu*  husband  or  Wlady  Orloff 
what  to  do  with  the  thing." 

I  asked  if  I  could  not  send  it  back.  I  thought  that 
the  best  way  to  revenge  myself  for  the  nasty  trick  of 
the  arrogant  Crown  Prince.  I  felt  sure  he  had  wished  to 
prove  that,  no  matter  what  he  and  his  armies  might  do 
to  our  AlHed  forces,  his  prestige  in  the  eyes  of  those  who 
had  known  him  remained  unimpaired.  Or  else  he  had 
done  this  thing  to  compromise  my  husband  and  myself 
and  make  trouble,  simply.  Either  way  it  seemed  horrid 
and  I  was  keen  for  paying  him  back. 

I  wrote  my  husband,  who  told  the  story  to  his  chief. 
The  latter  laughed,  said  I  had  acted  right,  and  to  think 
no  more  of  it.  Then  I  told  Orloff.  He  felt  as  I  did — ^it 
would  be  fun  to  return  the  picture,  and  we  tried  to  do 
so  through  one  of  several  channels.  The  German  censor 
would  have  prevented  its  reaching  its  destination  by 
ordinary  mail;  of  course  none  of  the  neutral  embassies 
would  let  their  couriers  handle  it.  We  learned  this  by 
consulting  the  American  charge  d'affaires;  neither  could 
any  member  of  the  Red  Cross  undertake  the  carrying  of 
so  undesirable  a  packet.  Evidently  this  picture  was  to 
be  a  white  elephant  on  my  hands. 

My  mother-in-law,  who  became  greatly  excited  when 
she  heard  the  tale,  said  I  ought  to  tear  and  disfigure  the 
portrait,  and  then  return  it,  writing  an  insulting  letter, 
too,  but  my  anger  was  rather  cold  than  hot,  and  I  did 


244  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERi: 

not  feel  such  action  would  express  my  sentiments.  Or- 
loff  said,  laughing,  he  thought  I  ought  to  show  it  in  a 
large  frame  to  the  public  as  the  latest  manifestation  of 
German  ill-breeding  and  arrogance.  One  must  be  in- 
deed both  ill-bred  and  arrogant  to  send  a  woman  with 
whom  one  had  had  only  two  or  three  meetings  at  par- 
ties, one's  portrait  done  in  war  paraphernalia,  with 
trenches  in  the  background,  when  the  war  was  against 
her  people,  and  when  such  a  gift  might  throw  suspicion 
on  her,  besides  I 

I  persuaded  Orloff  to  put  the  ugly  thing  in  his  safe  and 
keep  it,  which  he  did,  till  the  moment  when  I  was  leav- 
ing Russia.  Then  he  returned  it  to  me  as  a  souvenir  of 
one  of  my  friends,  he  said,  and  to  recommend  me  to 
Trotzky-Bronstein  in  case  we  were  captured  by  the  Bol- 
sheviki  on  the  frontier!  This  did  not  happen,  luckily, 
and  I  believe  Wilhelm  has  sent  me  no  more  pictiu*es  of 
himself. 


CHAPTER  XI 
THE  COURT  AND  SOCIETY 

IN  Russia  the  diplomatic  corps  was  very  large,  and 
most  countries  sent  us  their  best  representatives. 
The  American  Ambassador,  Mr.  Tower,  who  was 
there  when  I  married,  lived  in  a  palace  on  the  Neva's 
bank,  where  he  entertained  with  a  series  of  quiet  dinners 
the  elite  of  the  capital's  intellectuals,  as  well  as  the 
court  group.  The  other  embassies  were  then  all  rather 
quiet,  save  for  an  occasional  dinner  or  soiree.  One  shone 
above  all  others  dtuing  the  period  between  my  arrival 
and  the  Japanese  War.  It  was  the  French,  which  in 
riches  surpassed  all  its  colleagues,  and  held  a  place  second 
to  none  in  St.  Petersburg  as  Russia's  friend  and  ally.  The 
French  Ambassador  had  quarters  which  occupied  a  large 
space  on  the  French  quay,  and  commanded  a  fine  view 
of  the  Neva.  He  used  lovely  furniture,  tapestry,  silver, 
and  works  of  art  from  the  royal  collections  of  France. 
As  a  peevish  rival  of  the  Marquis  de  Montebello  said  to 
me  once  at  a  banquet  given  by  the  latter:  "We  have  kept 
our  King,  so  otir  ambassadors  can't  be  using  royal 
property!" 

The  inspiration  of  the  feasts,  receptions,  and  balls 
which  succeeded  one  another  at  this  embassy  was  the 
Marquise  de  Montebello,  a  woman  of  exceptional  beauty 
and  wit,  with  a  large  personal  fortune  which  she  spent 
lavishly;  a  brilliant  talker  and  very  lIsofe-iMi-iSifl&J®''' 
she  amused  even  the  most  blas6.  She  had  a  gift  of 
arranging  successful  parties,  and  putting  the  right  people 
together.     She  grew  to  be  the  intimate  friend  of  various 

245 


246  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

prominent  or  smart  Russians,  especially  various  members 
of  the  imperial  family.  She  gave  a  large  formal  party 
for  the  sovereigns,  small  suppers  with  the  older  grand 
dukes,  pretty  cotillions  with  but  thirty  or  forty  couples, 
well  chosen,  for  the  younger  royalties,  especially  for  the 
Emperor's  brother  Michael,  who  was  very  fond  of  danc- 
ing. An  extremely  unpretentious  youth  he  was  at  that 
time,  admirable  at  all  kinds  of  sport,  and  always  ready 
to  enjoy  an  informal  gathering.  His  riding  was  excep- 
tional, both  in  races  and  in  the  horse-show  ring,  and  he 
saw  quite  a  lot  of  my  husband,  who  was  then  one  of  the 
best  horsemen  in  Russia.  I  had  met  Michael  Alexan- 
drovitch  at  a  dinner  the  Grand  Duke  Wladimir  gave, 
very  soon  after  I  made  my  debut  in  Russian  society. 
Andrew- Wladimorovitch,  a  son  of  the  house,  brought  up 
the  stranger  and  said  something  which  soimded  vaguely 
like  an  introduction.  I  was  talking  in  another  direction 
and  stretched  out  my  hand,  which  the  stranger  took  and 
bowed  over;  then  as  I  turned  again  to  my  conversation 
the  smart-looking  young  officer  withdrew.  I  noticed  he 
had  a  well-set-up  look,  and  wore  the  aiguilettes  of  an 
aide-de-camp  to  the  Emperor. 

After  I  finished  talking  with  the  man  near  me,  I  turned 
to  a  woman  at  my  side,  saying,  in  all  innocence:  "Who 
was  that  trim  aide-de-camp  the  Grand  Duke  Andrew  just 
introduced  to  me?" 

She  looked  astoimded.  **You  don*t  mean  to  say^ 
Julia,  you  really  don't  know?  It  is  no  less  a  person 
than  the  Czar6vitch,  heir  apparent  to  the  throne  of  all 
the  Russias,  and  you  treated  him  in  such  a  casual  man; 
ner;  I  wondered  what  on  earth  was  the  matter !" 

"There  wasn't  anything  the  matter.  He  looked  ex- 
ceptionally nice,  and  I  couldn't  possibly  tell  his  name  by 
looking  at  him.     I  hope  he  won't  mind  my  liking  his 


THE  COURT  AND  SOCIETY  247 

modest  way  of  going  about,  getting  introduced  to  stran- 
gers properly,  instead  of  exacting  official  curtseys  due  his 
position." 

Michael  asked  me  for  the  mazurka  and  supper  when 
dancing  began  that  evening.  He  liked  my  treating  him 
simply,  it  turned  out,  and  always  after  we  were  frequent 
partners — in  fact,  at  the  court  balls  I  was  invariably  his 
partner,  either  for  the  mazurka  or  for  supper,  or  both. 
My  husband  and  I  were  generally  invited  to  his  table, 
and  were  also  included  in  any  little  f^te  given  for  him. 

St.  Petersburg  was  probably,  during  those  years,  the 
most  brilliant  capital  in  Europe.  Besides  the  embassies, 
there  were  a  lot  of  aristocrats,  rich,  lavish,  highly  cul- 
tured, who  were  fond  of  entertaining.  Good  taste  and 
money  had  created  ideal  frames  for  dinners,  theatricals, 
dances,  suppers,  and  music.  Our  women  were  hand- 
some and  well  gowned,  and  both  men  and  women  were 
most  unpretentious,  cultivated,  and  clever.  I  liked 
them  thoroughly,  and  I  felt  immensely  at  home  among 
them;  also,  I  liked  their  occupations  and  amusements. 
Every  one  had  serious  duties,  fulfilled  with  great  success, 
but  they  also  possessed  a  rare  faculty  of  putting  aside 
the^T  work  and  plimging  into  any  pleasure  with  a  zest 
no  other  race  can  boast,  I  think.  It  is  a  rare  quality, 
especially  as  their  imfeigned  enthusiasm  led  to  no  excess. 
In  all  the  years  I  was  in  Russia  I  never  met  in  society 
any  man  who  had  had  more  to  drink  than  was  good  for 
him,  nor  did  any  act  or  word  ever  go  beyond  good  form 
and  good  taste.  It  was  all  instinctive  breeding,  as  was 
the  invariable  kindness  shown  a  young  stranger  who  had 
dropped  into  their  midst.  They  helped  me  in  every  way 
to  make  good,  in  spite  of  my  ignorance  of  their  customs 
and  their  etiquette. 

Aside  from  the  ordinary  run  of  parties,   there  were 


us  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

often  rather  unusual  and  unexpected  picnics — ^when  at  a 
dinner  or  after  the  play  some  one  would  say:  "Let  us  go 
troika-driving  to  the  gypsies  to-night."  Then  the  men 
would  begin  to  plan  and  telephone.  Troika  sleighs  would 
arrive,  we  would  all  bimdle  up  warmly  and  sit  in  these 
gay,  carpet-covered,  bell-bedecked  vehicles  with  their 
prancing  horses  three  abreast.  We  would  skim  over  the 
river's  ice  and  the  hard,  smooth  snow  on  the  islands,  go 
far  out  of  town,  with  the  moon  creating  a  deep-blue 
fairy-land  about  us,  and  the  air  nipping  any  part  of 
one's  face  left  exposed.  Ten  miles  or  more  we  drove 
out,  one  horse  trotting  at  such  a  rate  that  the  others  on 
either  flank  must  gallop  to  keep  up.  We  felt  dizzy  with 
intense  cold,  rapid  motion,  mounting  excitement,  and 
the  winter's  beauty. 

Suddenly  we  pulled  up.  It  was  the  gypsies'  settle- 
ment we  had  reached,  and  there,  though  all  looked  so 
quiet  in  the  low-ceilinged,  dull,  badly  lighted  house,  we 
found  an  excellent  supper,  as  if  by  enchantment,  waiting 
for  us.  Smoking  dishes — Russian;  fruits  from  far  away, 
champagne  and  tea.  It  seemed  delicious,  for  our  appe- 
tites were  sharpened  by  the  air.  Soon  we  passed  from 
the  supper-table  to  long  benches  ranged  about  the  walls 
of  another  room,  equally  low,  dingy,  and  ill  lighted.  In 
trooped  the  gypsy  singers,  two- thirds  of  them  women, 
dressed  in  crude  colors  which  seemed  violent  contrasts 
even  in  the  semigloom.  As  they  settled  themselves, 
every  one  lighted  cigarettes  and  our  glasses  were  filled. 
The  health  of  each  guest  in  turn  was  drunk,  with  a  little 
verse  sung  to  her  or  him  by  the  gypsies — a  pretty  initia- 
tion. These  strange  people,  who  came  from  no  one  knew 
where  originally,  whose  voices  had  a  wail  of  the  Orient 
which  deeply  stirred  one's  heart  with  things  left  unsaid, 
had  wonderful  r6pertoires  of  weird  songs.     Most  foreign- 


THE  COURT  AND  SOCIETY  «49 

ers  were  bored  after  a  time,  but  I  always  loved  expedi- 
tions to  these  gypsies,  who  were  so  different  from  their 
race  in  other  countries.  About  five  in  the  morning  we 
drove  home  again  through  the  early,  freezing  air. 

Besides  gypsy  parties,  there  were  many  other  original, 
gay,  curious  affairs.  Supper  at  some  palace,  where,  asked 
at  half  after  midnight,  we  sat  at  table  till  five  or  six 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  listening  to  a  fine  Russian  singer. 
She  was  installed  generally  at  the  table  with  us,  her 
accompanist,  a  man  with  a  guitar,  standing  behind  her 
chair.  Between  courses  and  when  the  meal  was  ended, 
she  would  sing  old  Russian  legends,  popular  folk-songs, 
anything  any  guest  asked  for.  The  singer  had  no 
caprices,  and  the  guests  were  all  sympathetically  vibrat- 
ing and  would  join  in  the  different  refrains.  Strangely 
enough,  most  of  the  music  was  sad;  at  least  I  felt  as  if  a 
scintillating  pattern  of  golden  sotmd  was  woven  into  a 
backgrotmd  of  sombre  gray,  with  just  a  recurrent  note 
which  aroused  one's  wildest  energies  before  it  died  away. 
The  Russians  seemed  to  bare  their  national  soul  in  their 
peculiar,  lovely  music. 

.  We  danced  the  whole  night  through,  if  we  danced  at 
all,  and  balls  had  a  vim  I  never  saw  elsewhere.  Beau- 
tiful flowers,  perfect  floors,  rarely  too  crowded  for  com- 
fort, stunning  jewels,  brilliant  uniforms — every  one  cer- 
tain enough  of  his  position  to  be  quite  natural.  Night 
after  night  one  danced,  till  hot  coffee  was  served — the 
Russians'  usual  morning  meal — and  many  an  officer  went 
straight  to  early  drill  with  his  regiment  without  going 
home  to  sleep  at  all. 

Irregular  sleep  apparently  did  no  one  any  harm  in 
Russia.  I  found  it  did  not  at  all  disagree  with  me  to 
come  home  with  my  arms  full  of  flowers  and  my  dress 
ragged  at  the  lower  edge  from  spurs,  about  the  time  our 


«50  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

children  were  getting  up.  One  could  rest  three  or  four 
hours,  then  walk  on  the  quay  and  feel  as  fresh  as  ever 
for  the  new  effort  of  the  evening  to  follow. 
^  But  the  season  was  short — only  a  few  weeks — and 
most  of  the  year  one  led  a  very  simple  life  in  the  bosom 
of  one's  family,  or  with  only  a  circle  of  intimate  friends 
gathered  about  one's  hearth. 

Of  course  the  greatest  fimctions  were  at  court,  and  I 
am  glad  the  three  or  four  early  years  of  my  married  life 
were  during  a  time  when  the  Russian  court  was  arrayed 
in  all  its  glory.  About  eight  such  functions  were  given 
by  Their  Majesties  each  season  at  the  Winter  Palace  or 
the  Hermitage.  The  court  ball  which  opened  the  season 
occurred  soon  after  the  New  Year.  People  came  from 
all  over  the  vast  empire,  wearing  the  quaintest  clothes. 
At  least  once  in  a  lifetime  the  effort  was  made  to  go  to 
court  by  provincials,  and,  doubtless,  patriots  who  trav- 
elled so  far,  after  many  years  of  service,  to  gaze  on  their 
"Little  Father"  and  his  beautiful  consort,  put  an  almost 
religious  spirit  into  their  pilgrimages.  But  I  think  they 
must  have  felt  repaid  for  their  effort  and  expense,  as  they 
looked  on  the  most  magnificent  party  in  Europe.  They 
carried  memories  back  to  Caucasian  mountainside  or 
Siberian  plains,  which  were  akin  probably  to  fairy -land. 
They  had  walked  through  kilometres  of  great  halls,  filled 
with  art  treasiires;  they  had  seen  three  thousand  people 
assembled,  the  women's  gowns  and  jewels  or  men's  uni- 
forms of  gold  and  furs  of  such  richness  as  no  other  em- 
pire could  boast.  The  frame  was  worthy  of  the  pic- 
ture and  the  picttu*e  of  its  frame.  Surely  Solomon  in  all 
his  glory  could  not  have  equalled  this  great  sight. 

Nicolas  II,  alone  of  all  European  sovereigns,  could 
give  his  three  thousand  guests  dancing  space  enough  in 
a  single  ballroom ;  he  '^lone  had  room  to  seat  them  all  at 


•       •   •     •     • 


•  •  •    • 

•  •; : 


THE  COURT  AND  SOCIETY  251 

a  well-served  hot  supper,  with  plate  and  rare  china, 
napery  and  food  from  his  own  kitchens  and  storerooms. 
At  these  feasts  and  in  all  his  gorgeous  surroimdings  the 
Emperor  always  seemed  most  simple.  His  uniform  was 
generally  that  of  a  colonel  in  one  of  the  infantry  regi- 
ments of  which  he  was  fond,  or  that  of  his  own  Hussars. 
Small  of  stature,  with  a  painfully  shy  manner.  His  Maj- 
esty showed  constantly  how  difficult  was  his  role  as  the 
centre  of  these  celebrations.  I  always  thought  as  I  saw 
him  watch  longingly  some  gay  guardsman  pass  with  a 
pretty  partner  hanging  on  his  arm,  how  the  Ruler  of  all 
the  Russias  must  envy  an  ordinary  young  chap's  freedom. 
I  dressed  for  these  parties  with  feelings  of  elation, 
donning  my  best  clothes  and  knowing  it  was  all  pleasure 
for  me.  We  drove  through  the  freezing  night,  toward  a 
magnificent  feast  for  eyes  and  ears,  as  well  as  a  joy  to 
light  and  frivolous  feet  like  mine.  On  arriving  I  could 
not  throw  off  my  cloak  quickly  enough,  and  already  be- 
fore the  staircase  the  excitement  of  the  hours  to  come 
made  my  blood  tingle.  We  climbed  a  long  flight,  lined 
with  guardsmen  picked  for  their  beauty  and  size,  and  if 
it  was  the  night  when  the  Emperor's  "own  horse-guards" 
were  on  duty,  they  were  surely  all  brunettes.  Should  one 
man  be  less  black  of  hair  he  was  dyed  for  the  occasion 
to  match  his  fellows.  They  wore  helmets  of  gold,  with 
metal  imperial  eagles  spreading  silver  wings  over  them; 
their  imiforms,  red  and  gold  and  blue,  were  the  best  cut 
and  fitted  I  have  seen.  The  three  or  four  palace  en- 
trances were  guarded  by  different  regiments,  each  lend- 
ing a  bright  note  of  color  to  the  scene.  One  door  was 
for  the  military  and  naval  guests;  another  received  the 
diplomats;  a  third  the  imperial  family;  a  fourth  civiHans. 
The  crowds  moved  forward  from  each  through  hall  after 
hall,  greeting  friends  until  they  reached  the  grand  ball- 


«52  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

room.  There  we  stood  about  in  groups,  more  or  less 
marshalled  into  the  right  space  by  the  head  master  of 
ceremonies,  Count  Hendrikoff,  and  some  fifty  of  his 
aides,  all  in  much  gilded  but  ugly  heavy  uniforms;  each 
of  these  men  carried  a  long  cane  with  ivory  handle. 

Rapidly  guests  gathered;  then  three  taps  were  heard 
on  the  floor,  and  silence  fell.  A  last  quick  arrangement 
of  one's  train  or  one's  sleeves  was  possible  before  the 
double  doors  opened.  In  the  frame  stood  His  Majesty, 
looking  as  shy  as  possible,  as  if  dreadfully  sorry  to  in- 
terrupt. Behind  him  his  adjutant-general,  the  general 
of  his  suite,  and  His  Majesty's  aide-de-camp;  one  man 
of  each  rank  was  on  duty  daily  for  the  twenty-four  hours. 
Coimt  Fr6dericksz,  in  those  days  a  baron  still,  extraordi- 
nary for  good  looks,  with  Coimt  Benkendorff,  grand 
marshal  of  the  court,  also  stood  there.  These  two  large 
men  accentuated  the  Emperor's  shortness,  though  the 
sovereign  was  of  fairly  heavy  build  and  had  broad 
shovdders,  which  he  held  quite  straight.  Usually  he 
bowed  quickly,  and  then  stood  quietly  gazing  at  the 
great  crowd  with  very  patient  eyes — a  look  of  something 
like  deep  sadness  in  them.  His  face  was  typically  Rus- 
sian— broad,  with  an  effect  of  flat  surfaces.  He  had 
deep,  earnest,  handsome  eyes,  dark  gray-blue,  with  a 
•charm  all  their  own;  a  rather  short,  heavy  nose  and  high 
cheek-bones ;  a  mustache  and  beard  covered  what  seemed 
to  be  a  rather  large  mouth,  but  was  perhaps  only  thick- 
lipped.  A  short  neck  and  very  short  hands  were  his 
other  marked  traits.  His  Majesty  w^as  altogether  a  sym- 
pathetic figure,  had  one  met  him  casually  as  a  private 
person,  and  I  always  foimd  myself  feeling  sorry  for  him. 
To  his  right  stood — when  she  came  at  all — the  Empress- 
Mother,  graceful  and  gracious,  smiling,  glancing  about 
at  people,  with  a  nod  to  those  she  knew,  or  turning  to 


THE  COURT  AND  SOCIETY  253 

speak  in  friendly  fashion  with  her  own  gentlemen  and 
ladies  in  waiting.  The  Empress-Mother  wore  black,  and 
her  perfect  neck  and  shoulders  could  well  bear  the  trying 
full  court  decollete.  Nearing  sixty,  she  was  still  able  to 
hold  her  own  in  the  eyes  of  her  subjects.  She  did  not 
stand  long  in  the  doorway,  but  moved  off  somewhere  and 
settled  down  almost  at  once,  having  those  with  whom 
she  wished  to  converse  brought  to  her.  Her  chosen  cor- 
ner was  usually  the  gayest  of  the  ball. 

Going  through  the  room  she  had  a  pleasant  intimate 
word  for  many  a  person.  "What  a  pretty  gown!"  or 
*'Is  that  the  new  diadem  I  heard  about?  It  is  lovely/* 
and  so  on. 

Some  old  man,  receiving  a  gentle,  winning  glance, 
would  bow  low,  then  straightening  he  would  preen  him- 
self and  say  to  his  neighbors:  "It  is  twenty  years  since 
Her  Majesty  saw  me  last,  yet  did  you  see  how  she  remem- 
bered my  face?  And  how  young  she  looks!  As  grace- 
ful, too,  as  ever."  A  great  gift  this  in  the  sovereign  who 
still  reigned  in  Russian  hearts  by  her  womanly  softness. 

When  the  Empress-Mother  did  not  come  to  court  the 
opened  doors  disclosed  the  young  Empress  Alexandra 
standing  on  her  husband's  right.  The  elder  woman  was 
given  first  place,  and  if  both  were  there  the  Emperor's 
consort  stood  at  his  left.  Doubtless  this  was  hard  for 
her  pride.  There  were  many  difficulties  in  her  life  be- 
sides. She  had  no  son  to  follow  Nicolas  II,  and  it  was 
said  at  court  this  preyed  on  the  young  Empress's  mind 
and  heart  continuously,  and  drove  her  to  cultivating 
charlatan  doctors  and  saints.  She  foimd  in  the  con- 
stant presence  of  Michael,  her  husband's  brother  and 
heir,  a  reminder  that  her  children  were  all  girls.  When- 
ever she  received  a  woman  in  audience  she  asked:  "Have 
you  children?" 


254  MY  LUBE,  HEKE  AND  THEKE 

"Yes,  Your  Majesty." 

*'Girlsorboys?" 

"A  boy,  madam." 

Instantly  Her  Majesty's  face  was  strained,  and  there 
came  a  pause  in  the  conversation.  This  happened  to  me 
every  year,  so  I  know;  and  I  never  was  so  happy  as  when 
in  1904  my  elder  daughter  was  bom  in  the  spring,  and 
that  same  summer  brought  our  Empress  the  little  lad 
whose  life  and  early  death  were  to  be  such  a  tragedy. 

That  next  winter  the  empress's  first  words  were:  "I 
hear  you  have  another  child." 

"A  girl,  Your  Majesty — ^while  we  all  congratulate  you 
on  the  birth  of  the  heir ! " 

After  that  year  the  manner  of  the  Empress  was  quite 
different  to  me,  and  we  had  a  long  and  very  pleasant 
chat  each  time  I  was  received  by  her  in  audience. 

The  young  Empress  was  exceptionally  well-read  and 
could  talk  on  a  nimiber  of  subjects.  Seemingly  also  with 
her  own  circle  she  could  laugh  and  be  gay,  and  she  was 
devoted  to  her  husband,  her  children,  and  her  few  inti- 
mate friends.  She  was  full  of  compassion  for  those  who 
were  in  trouble,  but  apparently  she  hated  her  surround- 
ings and  the  people  whom  she  should  have  found  con- 
genial. She  hated,  also,  the  ways  of  court  life  and  every 
tradition  of  the  old  palaces.  She  drove  away  those  who 
wanted  to  help  her,  drove  away,  little  by  little,  the  Em- 
peror's few  trusted  and  tried  comrades,  reduced  the  pal- 
ace life  almost  to  a  t6te-^-t^te,  the  fakers  who  captured 
her  imagination  being  the  only  people  outside  the  family 
circle  Her  Majesty  tolerated.  Even  in  early  days,  in- 
stead of  leaving  all  court  housekeeping  arrangements  to 
various  officials  who  had  previously  attended  to  such 
matters,  she  wanted  parlor-maids  introduced  into  the 
Winter  Palace,  instead  of  the  old  men  servants.     This 


THE  COURT  AND  SOCIETY  ^55 

hurt  the  servitors'  feelings,  and  Her  Majesty's  newly 
formed  corps  of  maids  could  not  or  would  not  do  the 
work.  Everything  had  to  be  changed  back,  while  it  was 
said  the  Empress  tried  to  introduce  the  ''ways  of  the 
German  and  English  bourgeois  houses"  to  Russia's  court ! 

I  heard  this  story  from  my  mother-in-law,  and  it  was 
typical  of  the  kind  of  thing  constantly  being  told.  Al- 
ways some  imfortimate  little  remark  or  act,  attitude  or 
expression,  marred  the  effect  of  what  one  was  anxious  to 
believe — that  our  Empress  wished  to  do  right  by  her 
subjects  and  to  please  them,  just  as  they  were  anxious 
to  act  nicely  toward  her  and  love  her,  as  they  did  the 
Dowager  Empress.  Everything  miscarried,  though,  and 
left  disappointments.  Explanations  were  not  possible, 
because  of  her  rank  and  her  rather  forbidding  attitude. 
Often  I  have  thought  this  sad  woman  was  the  victim  of 
a  huge  misunderstanding,  yet  undoubtedly  her  own 
words  and  acts  built  it  up. 

I  had  several  personal  experiences  of  this.  First,  at 
the  very  beginning,  her  imnecessary  criticism  of  a  pretty 
and  correct  enough  gown  on  a  stranger  who  was  anxious 
to  please,  roused  the  animosity  of  a  large  group  of  young 
women.  Then  her  attitude  of  sitting  in  judgment  on 
society  and  its  gay  ways,  which  was  sure  to  offend  the 
court  circle,  was  unwarranted,  since  the  Russian  aris- 
tocracy was  as  well  behaved  as  any  in  Eiirope,  and  many 
a  diplomat  exclaimed  over  our  virtue  as  compared  with 
society  at  other  posts.  Later  came  the  gradual  estrange- 
ment of  herself  and  the  Emperor  from  the  warm,  loyal 
men  and  women,  who  had  been  ready  to  give  the  young 
sovereign  the  same  devotion  they  had  dedicated  to  his 
father.  It  was  curious  how  differently  the  Empress 
acted  from  others  trained  to  the  same  r61e. 

I  have  seen  the  Empress-Mother  or  the  Grand  Duchess 


^5Q  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

Marie  thank  some  woman  or  even  some  child  with  touch- 
ing words  and  smiles  for  a  little  gift  brought  to  their  war 
charities.  This  effort  of  smiling  was  made  often  when 
they  were  weary  physically  and  mentally,  or  worn  down 
with  responsibility.  Whether  my  baby  girl  brought  a 
knitted  scarf  for  a  sick  soldier,  or  some  rich  man  gave  a 
thousand  pairs  of  boots,  or  I  carried  to  them  a  donation 
in  money  from  sympathetic  Americans,  their  pleasiire  at 
least  seemed  hearty  and  genuine.  But  the  yotmg  Em- 
press received  a  check  one  day  for  six  thousand  roubles  to 
help  her  sewing-circle  for  the  wounded,  at  the  beginning 
of  the  Russo-Japanese  War,  and  Her  Majesty  only  said: 
"Thank  you,  every  little  bit  helps  somewhat!"  The 
donor  explained  this  money  came  from  a  group  of  foreign 
women  who  had  raised  the  gift  by  their  own  work,  and 
afterward  a  lady  in  waiting  was  begged  to  see  if  she 
could  not  obtain  a  few  words  of  thanks,  signed  by  the 
Empress,  to  send  to  the  far-away  sympathizers,  so  they 
would  not  imagine  the  fimd  had  been  lost,  or  was  not 
appreciated.  After  a  whole  year  a  typewritten  note  of 
stiff  thanks  was  sent,  bearing  the  signature  of  Her  Maj- 
esty's secretary!     It  was  reported  the  sovereign  had 

said:  "It  will  be  quite  sufficient  if  A signs !" 

In  spite  of  this  strange  way  of  doing  and  of  her  man- 
ner with  nearly  every  one  who  came  near  her,  one  could 
not  look  at  the  beautiful  apparition  in  the  palace  ball- 
room doorway  without  feeling  sorry  for  an  evidently 
unhappy  woman.  Much  taller  than  the  Emperor,  she 
was  of  heavy  build,  especially  when  I  first  knew  her. 
The  head  with  its  proud  pose  was  classic  and  stood  out 
splendidly  in  the  throng  about  her  at  court.  The  Em- 
press had  a  wonderful  cameo-like  profile,  made  for  sculp- 
tors to  copy  on  coins.  Her  features  were  regular,  her 
blond  hair  abundant,  though  drawn  back  tightly  and 


THE  COURT  AND  SOCIETY  257 

rolled  into  a  birn  with  the  utmost  simplicity.  The  cotirt 
hair- dresser,  Delcroix,  was  in  despair.  *'Her  Majesty- 
does  not  wear  a  coiffure — it  is  merely  a  hard  lump  and 
everything  must  be  only  tight.  Yet  she  is  so  beautiful !" 
he  woiild  exclaim.  Nearly  always  dressed  in  white,  her 
complexion  was  soft  and  pretty.  The  eyes  were  deep 
and  tragic  or  desperately  bored,  or  very  cold  and  severe; 
one  felt  held  at  a  distance  and  as  if  one  were  clumsy  or 
lacked  understanding.  The  Empress  loved  jewels,  and 
wore  a  great  many  large  and  magnificent  stones.  In  her 
diadems  or  small  round  crowns,  with  row  after  row  of 
pearls  and  diamonds  from  throat  to  waist,  hanging  and 
flashing,  she  looked  her  best.  Also,  in  Russian  court 
dress  she  was  magnificent,  and  I  admired  her  extremely 
dirring  the  last  war  years  in  the  Sister  of  Mercy  costtime 
she  invented  for  herself. 

In  1900  already  there  was  much  discussion  about  the 
Empress,  especially  as  to  her  complaints  of  Russian 
society,  which  were  rather  resented.  Her  criticism  of 
this  or  that  custom  or  person,  her  strange  tastes  and 
ways,  like  Her  Majesty's  attitude  at  a  court  ball,  seemed 
to  fit  into  the  tales  which  were  spread  about.  A  very 
small  bow,  without  a  smile,  was  vouchsafed  her  curtsey- 
ing subjects;  then  she  stood  or  sat  wherever  etiquette 
put  her,  looking  straight  to  the  front;  painfully  intimi- 
dated, mihtantly  on  the  defensive,  doing  whatever  was 
her  official  duty,  but  under  protest,  as  it  were,  she  spent 
much  of  the  evening  standing  or  sitting  alone,  while  those 
near  her  felt  rather  tmeasy,  fearing  her  critical  eye  or 
comment.  I  believe  she  thought  she  was  disliked  and 
that  she  suffered  an  agony  of  shyness.  Meantime,  be- 
tween sorrow  and  resentment,  most  of  St.  Petersburg  soci- 
ety vacillated,  while  the  breach  widened.  Those  on  one 
side  made  an  occasional  advance,  only  to  be  rebuffed — 


2o8  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

she,  on  the  other,  wanted  the  sympathy  which  her  pride 
prevented  her  accepting,  and  she  brooded  on  her  troubles 
always.  The  whole  situation  was  encouraged,  of  course, 
by  the  least  desirable  people  at  court,  since  they  hoped 
to  fish  in  troubled  waters. 

At  a  court  ball,  after  some  time  of  dancing,  our  long, 
sweeping  trains  on  the  floor  were  a  good  deal  damaged 
usually  by  the  officers*  spurs.  The  latter  could  not  be 
left  off,  and  we  might  not  hold  otu*  trains  up — etiquette 
forbid !  I  managed  never  to  care  if  I  was  torn  and  rag- 
ged, because  I  was  so  keen  about  dancing.  I  loved  the 
space,  music,  and  order  of  these  functions.  The  scene 
as  we  moved  in  to  supper  was  even  more  perfect  than  in 
the  ballroom.  Often,  when  the  Grand  Duke  Michael 
was  my  partner,  we  went  in  to  supper  the  second  couple, 
following  Their  Majesties  directly,  and  the  great  stretch 
of  the  hall  filled  with  enormous  palm-trees,  a  bed  of  hya- 
cinths or  roses  at  their  bases,  with  each  palm  the  centre 
of  a  supper-table  for  ten,  created  a  sylvan  picture  of  the 
South  in  the  Palace  of  the  Czars.  This  with  a  thermom- 
eter fifteen  to  thirty-five  below  zero  outside !  Every 
stranger  gasped  when  he  saw  that  room  for  the  first  time, 
and  even  Russians — of  all  people  the  least  given  to  brag- 
ging ! — felt  rather  proud  of  this  fairy-land  of  flowers  and 
tropical  trees. 

The  Empress  presided  at  her  table,  lovely  but  saying 
little  to  those  who  occupied  places  of  honor  on  her  left 
and  right.  Following  supper,  after  a  further  wait,  she 
and  the  Emperor  (and,  when  there,  the  Empress-Mother) 
moved  toward  their  door  and  gave  the  final  signal.  The 
music  stopped;  Their  Majesties  smiled  and  bowed;  we 
bowed  and  curtseyed  low  in  return  and  then  they  dis- 
appeared. The  ball  was  over  and  we  all  wandered  off 
to  our  distant  carriages. 


THE  COURT  AND  SOCIETY  259 

On  Carnival  Sunday  a  small  party  of  two  or  three 
hundred  guests  was  always  given.  It  was  the  prettiest 
and  smallest  court  affair  of  the  year.  There  was  a  din- 
ner in  the  art  galleries  of  the  Hermitage  first,  and  dancing 
in  the  small  ballroom  of  the  most  ancient  part  of  the 
palace.  The  conservatory,  full  of  singing  birds,  was 
thrown  open.  There  was  a  very  elegant  cotillion,  with 
flowers  in  quantities  from  the  imperial  greenhouses,  and 
no  one  but  the  yoimg  dancing  group  (and  only  Russians 
of  that)  were  guests.  Twice  only  exceptions  were  made 
in  my  time:  once,  on  the  eve  of  their  departure.  Prince 
Kinsky,  of  the  Austrian  Embassy,  and  his  lovely  wife 
were  asked;  and  another  time  the  two  daughters  of  the 
British  Ambassador,  Sir  Charles  Scott,  were  invited  as  a 
last  compliment  to  their  father  before  he  retired  from 
diplomatic  life. 


CHAPTER  XII 

THE  JAPANESE  WAR  AND   THE  REVOLUTION 

OF    1906 

DURING  these  early  years  I  spent  my  time  ex- 
clusively between  the  duties  of  our  attractive 
home,  with  its  nursery,  and  the  gay  functions 
which  made  up  my  roimd  of  society  life,  intimate  or  offi- 
cial. I  began  to  feel  I  was  making  many  friends,  both 
men  and  women,  and  I  was  growing  Russian  in  my 
ways.  I  loved  all  I  was  doing  and  was  anxious  to  make 
those  whom  I  admired  realize  my  sympathy  and  enthusi- 
asm. They  answered  my  expressions  of  imderstanding  as 
if  sure  of  my  sincerity,  and  adopted  me  completely  within 
a  short  time. 

My  youth  and  high  spirits  did  not  prevent  my  seeing 
much  that  was  sad  in  Russia.  Both  in  the  country  and 
the  city  there  was  a  yearning  spirit  among  the  people 
which  made  its  appeal  and  a  restless  striving  toward 
progress  which  promised  trouble  in  time.  This  deep  agi- 
tation came  to  the  surface  occasionally,  in  the  anxious 
words  of  some  older  man  of  public  affairs,  or  even  in 
conversations  I  had  with  many  of  our  officers  or  the  more 
serious  women.  There  was  food  for  thought  and  anxiety 
in  various  things  said,  and  I  caught  myself  wondering  if 
it  were  possible  that  what  they  talked  of  might  be  true. 
This  was  especially  so  toward  the  end  of  1903. 

Through  our  holiday-making  in  the  early  years  of  my 
married  life  there  were  small  domestic  problems,  too, 
some  of  them  a  little  difficult  to  solve.  I  had  inherited  a 
few  of  the  old  servants  who  had  been  with  my  mother- 

260 


THE  JAPANESE  WAR  261 

in-law  for  years  and  they  objected  to  moving  from  her 
large  establishments  to  our  less  important  home.  One 
old  fellow,  a  Pole,  Lavrenti,  had  been  my  father-in-law's 
valet,  and  now  was  given  us  as  butler  and  general  man- 
ager of  our  household.  He  treated  us  as  children,  and 
to  give  him  orders  meant  nothing  in  the  way  of  results. 
He  was  always  running  up-stairs  to  the  Princess,  either 
to  complain  of  our  imreasonable  ways  or  to  report  what 
we  were  doing  if  he  thought  it  harmful. 

One  day  he  told  the  Princess  my  husband  **made  great 
disorder  and  noise  working  with  his  tools";  another  day 
he  carried  her  the  news  that  I  had  said  there  was  a  spot 
too  slippery  on  the  overpolished  floor  of  my  salon,  but 
that  "in  reality  the  fault  was  with  my  American  shoes, 
whose  heels  were  too  high."  The  old  man  was  always 
borrowing  plate  or  glass  or  kitchen  tins  from  my  mother- 
in-law's  pantry  and  kitchen,  either  to  save  us  money  or 
himself  the  trouble  of  going  out  to  buy  such  things.  We 
were  being  accused  of  appropriating  her  property,  as  her 
old  Auguste  said  everything  which  disappeared  up-stairs 
was  f oimd  in  our  quarters ! 

We  were  thoroughly  annoyed.  Finally  the  break  with 
our  tyrant  came  one  day,  when,  after  ringing  for  him 
several  times,  Cantacuz^ne  went  to  see  why  the  bell  was 
not  answered.  He  discovered  the  metal  ringer  had  been 
carefully  wrapped  in  cotton,  so  Lavrenti,  slumbering 
peacefully  in  an  armchair  beneath  it,  should  not  be  dis- 
turbed !  After  this  experience  we  passed  the  old  chap 
to  my  sailor  brother-in-law,  and  immediately  otu*  rela- 
tions with  Auguste  and  the  Princess  became  smoothed, 
besides  which  our  own  comfort  was  much  greater. 

I  had  all  sorts  of  quaint  trials  getting  oiu*  household 
started.  I  forttmately  began  with  few  theories,  and  such 
as  I  had  were  soon  left  behind.     The  family  servants  had 


262  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

traditions  they  considered  much  more  important  than  the 
ideas  of  any  newcomer,  and  I  learned  their  ways  more 
easily  than  they  did  mine.  Also  I  foimd  it  very  agree- 
able to  be  cared  for  by  the  devoted,  gentle,  intelligent 
crowd;  and  when  they  realized  I  had  no  desire  to  change 
their  life,  but  was  happy  among  them,  they  were  quick 
to  adopt  my  suggestions,  and  very  pleased  if  I  noticed 
any  small  innovation  and  complimented  them  on  it. 

They  always  called  everything  **ours,"  and  took  vast 
pride  and  pains  to  make  our  small  entertainments  a  suc- 
cess. Innocent  snobbishness  was  one  of  their  most  amus- 
ing weaknesses,  and  nothing  gave  Andrew,  our  next  but- 
ler, keener  pleasure  than  to  have  a  party  with  some  of 
the  imperial  family,  or  to  annoimce  that  "Grand  Duchess 
So-and-so  asks  Your  Highness  to  the  telephone,"  when 
I  had  visitors,  and  he  could  interrupt  conversation  with 
this  bit  of  ceremony. 

All  the  servants  were  *'our  children"  and  as  much 
members  of  the  family  as  we  ourselves.  They  expected 
us  to  take  care  of  them  and  be  interested  in  their  i)er- 
sonal  affairs,  and  they  were  sure  of  our  help  and  forgive- 
ness when  in  trouble  or  at  fault. 

In  all  the  years  I  was  in  Russia  no  servant  ever  left  us 
of  his  own  accord,  and  only  a  few  were  dismissed — those 
few  being  some  picked  up  accidentally,  who  had  not  the 
patriarchal  ideas.  In  the  house,  silver,  jewels,  money, 
and  other  valuables  were  kept  in  drawers  and  cupboards 
which  no  one  ever  locked.  It  would  have  been  an  insult 
to  do  so,  for  never  to  my  knowledge  did  anything,  how- 
ever unimportant,  disappear. 

The  baby,  young  Mike,  was  common  property.  Old 
Auguste,  his  great-grandfather's  valet,  and  his  father's 
nurse,  Grandmother  Anna-Wladimir,  would  gossip  end- 
lessly with  his  own  n\irse  as  to  what  resemblances  they 


THE  JAPANESE  WAR  263 

thought  most  prominent.  When  the  boy  was  born, 
Augusta  made  me  a  gift  of  several  jars  of  some  straw- 
berry preserves  which  I  had  once  declared  excellent  when 
I  had  tasted  them  at  the  Princess's.  Incidentally  she 
prized  these  too  much  to  serve  them  often,  as  the  stuff 
was  made  of  fruit  exceptionally  large  and  fine  from  Bou- 
romka*s  hotbeds.  At  the  moment  I  thanked  Auguste 
without  noticing  more  than  that  he  had  shown  me  a 
nice  little  attention  in  offering  me  a  dainty  I  liked.  But 
when  preserves  were  served  one  day  I  made  inquiries, 
only  to  find  the  old  fellow  had  simply  taken  his  gift  from 
the  storerooms  in  his  charge.  "The  Princess  won't  mind; 
she  will  never  know;  and  even  if  she  does,  I  will  tell  her 
it  is  much  better  to  tempt  yoiu*  appetite  in  illness,  and 
when  you  have  given  us  a  young  prince,  than  to  feed 
these  preserves  to  visitors."  This  was  his  only  explana- 
tion, and  there  was  no  sign  of  regret  or  consciousness  of 
having  given  what  was  not  his.  On  the  contrary,  he  and 
the  Princess  were  one,  and  I  a  sick  child  who  had  de- 
served the  best.  One  might  as  well  be  converted  and 
accept  this  code  of  morals,  which  had  its  charm. 

I  remember  the  drama  each  week,  when  my  mother-in- 
law  paid  her  bills  and  scolded  Auguste  for  a  crime  he 
never  admitted  till  after  their  accoimts  were  settled  to 
his  satisfaction.  He  was  called  thief  in  the  process,  for 
invariably  his  supply  bills  were  enlarged,  to  cover  extra 
sums  which  he  gave  to  my  young  brother-in-law,  thus 
augmenting  the  boy's  allowance  for  goodies  and  fun  at 
the  Page  Corps  School. 

Regularly  my  mother-in-law,  when  the  last  book  was 
gone  over  and  settled,  would  say:  "Now  admit  you  have 
stolen  at  least  twenty  roubles  for  Guy." 

And  Auguste  would  tuck  the  money  in  his  pocket  and 
the  books  imder  his  arm  and  reply,  "Well,  Your  High- 


264  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

ness,  boys  are  only  young  a  little  while,  and  they  need 
always  a  little  more  than  they  have,"  and  would  go 
away  contentedly,  while  the  Princess,  with  tears  in  her 
eyes,  would  tell  us  how  touching  the  old  fellow  was,  and 
how  he  loved  Guy.  Bad  policies  theoretically,  but  in 
practice  they  worked  out  well. 

This  young  brother  belonged  to  us  all,  and  had  his 
special  place  always  in  our  small  home.  In  fact,  both 
my  brothers-in-law  spent  much  of  their  free  time  near 
my  tea-table.  Oixr  baby  was  always  sprawling  or  creep- 
ing, and  later  walking  and  playing,  about  the  open  fire 
in  my  salon  at  five  o'clock.  It  became  the  pleasantest 
hoiir  of  the  day — one  for  quiet  talk  and  restful  discus- 
sions, from  which  I  learned  more  of  Russia  and  my  new 
compatriots  than  in  any  other  way.  With  freezing 
weather  outside,  inside  the  open  blaze,  singing  kettle 
and  cosey  armchairs  helped  any  caller,  who  dropped  in, 
to  thaw  his  ideas.  People  stayed  long  enough  to  go  into 
the  chance  subject  of  interest.  Pleasant  regimental 
comrades,  a  few  agreeable  foreign  diplomats,  gradually, 
also,  some  older  men  whom  I  met  at  dinners,  came,  and 
began  the  intimate  circle  which  later  through  the  years 
was  to  grow  considerably.  I  liked  these  people,  and 
though  at  first  my  husband  fought  rather  shy  of  *' tea- 
parties,"  after  a  time  he  fell  into  the  habit  of  coming 
home  from  his  club  to  smoke  his  last  afternoon  pipe  in 
his  own  easy-chair  and  join  in  the  informal  talk.  I  heard 
a  lot  about  certain  regimental  interests  and  grew  to  know 
the  ideals  and  ways  of  the  men  who  composed  our  organ- 
ization. I  was  told  much  of  Russian  life  and  thought 
by  degrees  also.  I  scarcely  had  to  study  or  even  to  ask 
questions.     My  education  progressed  rapidly. 

In  listening  to  my  visitors  each  day  I  began  to  catch 
their  attitude  and  atmosphere,  to  realize  what  remark- 


THE  JAPANESE  WAR  ^65 

able  culture  they  had,  and  how  the  literature,  art,  and 
music  of  the  country,  its  history  and  great  past,  made 
them,  as  well  as  the  peasantry,  what  they  were.  It  was 
absorbingly  interesting,  and  I  grew  to  love  my  Russians 
more  and  more.  It  was  their  theories  about  themselves 
they  were  tmconsciously  spreading  out  before  me,  and 
which  I  was  just  as  unconsciously  taking  in. 

Strangely  enough,  in  the  apparent  quiet  which  reigned, 
these  men  showed  signs  of  anxiety  as  to  what  was  ahead 
of  us.  Often  they  spoke  of  the  peasant,  of  his  backward- 
ness in  education,  yet  of  his  cleverness — and  they  spoke 
of  their  own  efforts  to  develop  these  dark  millions.  They 
would  almost  always  talk  of  the  bureaucracy  with  im- 
patience and  annoyance,  sometimes  criticising  Peter  the 
Great  for  installing  it,  with  all  the  general  clumsiness  of 
our  governmental  machinery.  They  complained  of  the 
difficulty  each  man  had  in  obtaining  action  in  cases  when 
it  wotild  be  an  advantage  all  round.  Of  the  injustice 
and  favoritism  being  practised  or  allowed,  there  was  also 
much  said.  The  party  which  wished  reforms  or  improve- 
ments was  large,  and  their  blame  of  the  Empress's  policy 
in  isolating  herself — of  the  undesirability  of  the  shut-in 
and  exclusively  family  life  of  the  sovereigns,  of  the  pro- 
tection given  to  cover  various  scandalous  exploitations 
by  a  group  in  oiu*  Far  Eastern  Siberian  country — ^was 
extremely  marked.  The  names  of  Abaza,  Alexeef,  and 
Bezobrazoff  were  at  the  time  constantly  circulating  and 
were  anathema,  and  when  I  asked  what  these  men  had 
done,  ** Stolen  and  exploited;  everything!"  would  be  the 
impatient  rejoinder.  Witte's  figure  was  looming  large  on 
the  horizon.  He  promised  to  be  a  giant  in  history,  while 
Pobiedonostseff  was  another  name  bandied  about  in  all 
conversations.  Generally  considered  too  tdtraconserva- 
tive,  though  respected  for  his  honesty,  his  influence  was 


366  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

supposed  to  be  great  on  our  imperial  rulers,  and  was 
thrown  entirely  into  the  scales  on  the  side  of  retrograde 
actions. 

Especially  Witte  was  discussed  more  with  each  suc- 
ceeding month.  Of  comparatively  no  fortune,  he  was  a 
man  self-made  and  proud  of  that  fact.  I  even  wondered, 
when  I  met  him,  if  he  did  not  put  on  some  of  his  imcouth 
ways  to  underscore  his  personality  and  make  it  more 
striking.  He  had  been  a  railroad  employee — station 
agent,  it  was  said — and  he  had  by  degrees  climbed  to  the 
eminence  of  being  the  Minister  of  Finance.  He  had  a 
large  group  of  warm  admirers,  who  cited  his  talents  on 
all  occasions  and  told  of  the  way  money  was  being  drawn 
into  the  government  coffers  by  the  monopoly  of  the  sale 
of  vodka,  while  at  the  same  time  the  people  were  being 
served  with  a  brand  purer  than  before.  Also,  we  were 
told  of  his  successful  efforts  in  the  estabHshment  of  the 
new  currency  and  the  fixing  of  better  measures  of  ex- 
change. I  did  not  know  what  all  this  meant,  but  it 
sounded  well,  and  even  those  most  against  him  admitted 
that  Witte  was  a  big  man.  But  they  thought  him  too 
ambitious  and  domineering  and  a  danger  in  many  ways, 
since  he  was  supposed  to  be  trying  from  his  position  in 
the  finance  ministry  to  command  the  cabinet  and  rule 
the  empire — replacing  private  by  government  ownership 
of  railroads  and  other  services,  sending  his  various  agents 
abroad  to  sit  beside  the  Russian  ambassadors  and  report 
direct  to  him,  and  making  himself  responsible  for  many 
a  move  which  tended  to  his  keeping  the  reins  of  govern- 
ment in  his  own  powerful  hands. 

As  time  passed,  both  those  who  praised  and  those  who 
blamed  Witte  found  material  to  prove  their  theories. 
The  first  group  gave  him  great  credit  for  the  Portsmouth 
Treaty,  negotiated  in  spite  of  the  ever-changing  orders 


THE  JAPANESE  WAR  267 

and  the  constant  antagonism  toward  him  at  home.  His 
friends  gave  him  equal  admiration  for  the  manifesto  he 
dragged  from  the  sovereign  during  the  revolution,  that  of 
the  17  th  of  October.  The  opponents  of  Witte  through 
those  years  howled  him  down  for  these  very  things,  say- 
ing the  peace  treaty  was  made  just  when  Russia  might 
have  won  the  war,  as  Japan  was  worn  out,  and  that  the 
manifesto  was  a  matter  of  cowardice  on  Witte's  part, 
though  he  was  always  a  liberal. 

Long  before  these  events  he  had  made  a  trip  across 
Siberia,  and  was  received  everywhere  with  honors,  which, 
we  were  told  by  gossips,  were  so  great  as  to  make  the 
sovereign  jealous.  The  Trans-Siberian  Railroad  was 
largely  a  creation  of  Witte's,  who  was  for  economic  de- 
velopment on  the  eastern  outskirts  of  the  empire,  I  heard. 
But  Germany's  action  and  certain  political  influences  at 
home  brought  about  a  situation  which  roused  Japanese 
suspicions.  This  in  turn  produced  an  atmosphere  requir- 
ing but  a  small  spark  to  light  the  war  fires.  His  worst 
enemies  never  denied  that  Witte's  talent  kept  Russia  from 
financial  disaster  during  the  war  and  the  revolution  of 
1905,  or  that  he  developed  our  industries  as  no  one  had  till 
then.  But  it  was  always  added  that  this  was  not  Slav, 
nor  for  the  good  of  a  country  so  essentially  agricultural 
as  ours,  and  that  though  Witte  might  know  about  foreign 
affairs  he  did  not  know  our  own  people  well. 

I  listened  and  my  curiosity  grew,  till  one  day  I  met 
his  wife,  of  whom  also  gossip  had  much  to  say.  She  was 
a  lady  of  vague  antecedents,  and  I  decided  they  were 
vague  only  because  so  many  excited  people  told  such 
extraordinary  stories  about  her.  She  stood  easily  on  her 
own  merits — a  woman  of  forty-five  or  so,  of  dark  beauty 
and  dignified  manner,  with  a  most  intelligent  expression 
and  a  luminous  smile.     Her  clothes,  of  simple  cut,  per- 


268  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

fectly  fitted  her  still  fine  figiire.  She  wore  few  trimmings 
and  few  jewels,  but  those  she  did  wear  were  admirable. 
She  held  herself  proudly,  never  made  an  advance  con- 
versationally. Her  response  was  warm  enough  to  seem 
grateful,  however,  and  her  talk  was  both  intelligent  and 
cultured.  She  was  Jewish  by  origin,  though  belonging 
to  the  Russian  Church  and  attending  it.  She  had  mar- 
ried Witte  rather  late  in  life  and  he  had  adopted  her 
daughter  and  given  the  latter  his  name. 

Madame  Witte  was  never  received  at  court.  Little  by 
little,  however,  she  formed  a  group  of  friends  whom  she 
held  firmly  to  her.  I  thought  her  magnetic  when  we 
met,  and  afterward  watched  her  career  and  her  hus- 
band's with  curiosity.  He  overshadowed  all  other  fig- 
tires  between  the  time  I  first  realized  how  great  was  the 
drama  being  played  in  Russia  and  the  moment  when  the 
first  Duma  was  dissolved — and  she  in  her  way  was  act- 
ing as  brilliant  a  rdle  as  her  husband's. 

Witte,  I  think,  cared  socially  for  only  a  few  persons, 
but  with  these  his  vivid  conversation  was  very  interest- 
ing. I  had  the  opportimity  of  enjoying  the  treat  of 
hearing  him  on  two  or  three  occasions — once  at  a  dinner 
where  some  one  tempted  him  to  contradict  a  statement, 
and  he  had  plunged  into  graphic  descriptions;  twice 
when  he  came  to  me  and  in  a  quiet  hour  of  t^te-a-t^te 
talked  of  his  American  impressions  and  his  desire  for  a 
future  understanding  between  his  people  and  mine.  He 
had  greatly  liked  the  Americans  during  his  short  stay  in 
the  United  States.  He  had  met  my  parents  and  remem- 
bered a  long  chat  with  my  father,  while  he  admired  my 
mother's  beauty. 

Usually  at  a  dinner-table,  however,  he  was  tacitimi  to 
a  degree.  Many  women  who  were  his  partners  thought 
he  meant  to  insult  them,  and  they  said  that  to  hear  him 
eat  his  soup  was  agony.     One  person  told  me  he  had 


THE  JAPANESE  WAR  269 

watched  him  pick  a  chicken  leg  and  throw  the  bone 
under  the  table!  The  great  man  was  ugly,  but  with 
deep,  fine  eyes  and  capable  hands.  He  was  huge  and 
looked  strong,  though  he  was  not  compactly  built.  I 
found  him  rather  attractive  in  looks  as  well  as  in  what 
he  said.  He  seemed  to  care  in  society  only  to  see  his 
wife  surrotmded  and  his  adopted  child  enjoying  herself. 
A  crowd  looking  for  benefits  as  his  power  increased  gath- 
ered about  them.  The  daughter  married  a  Narishkine, 
son  of  one  of  the  empire's  greatest  families,  and  a  fragile 
little  boy  was  bom  to  this  young  couple.  To  see  Witte 
at  his  best  one  had  to  see  the  great  man  with  that  grand- 
son on  his  lap — the  great  bear  then  knew  how  to  be  as 
tender  as  any  old  nurse  might  have  been. 

Through  the  period  of  revolution  the  concessions  made 
to  popular  demands  and  the  meeting  and  disillusions  of 
the  first  Dtmia,  I  became  convinced  in  spite  of  hot  at- 
tacks on  his  motives  that  Witte  sincerely  meant  well 
and  wanted  to  see  Russia  move  forward.  I  think  he 
wanted  to  inaugurate  many  liberal  reforms  and  to  co- 
operate with  the  most  patriotic  elements  the  country 
could  produce.  Somehow  most  of  these  did  not  trust 
him,  and  whether  this  distrust  was  deserved  or  not,  it 
was  fatal  to  the  success  of  the  work  imdertaken  by 
Witte.  As  the  best  were  not  with  him,  he  joined  up 
with  the  most  extreme  and  less  understanding  to  get  his 
majorities;  then,  disillusioned,  or  from  a  desire  to  estab- 
lish a  better  balance,  he  swimg  back  toward  the  reaction- 
aries and  tried  to  save  the  situation  by  seemingly  tying 
up  with  them.  This  see-sawing  was  disastrous  to  him, 
as  to  the  prestige  both  of  the  government  and  the  Em- 
peror. The  latter  forced  Witte  to  drop  out  of  public 
life,  a  sad  and  deeply  disappointed  man,  while  Stolypin 
took  over  the  government. 

Witte  during  the  final  epoch  of  his  power  seemed  to 


270  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

lose  courage.  He  apparently  feared  to  make  decisions 
or  to  face  physical  danger.  He  lived  in  the  Winter  Pal- 
ace by  his  own  demand,  surrounded  with  guards,  and 
one  had  to  pass  several  pairs  of  sentinels  to  reach  Ma- 
dame Witte's  salon.  Of  course  his  enemies  made  capital 
of  these  signs.  Those  who  supported  him  still  vowed  he 
was  sincere,  far-seeing  and  patriotic,  loyally  devoted  to 
the  sovereign's  best  interests,  fighting  the  vacillations  of 
the  Emperor,  the  intrigues  of  would-be  rivals,  and  never 
supported  by  His  Majesty  in  critical  moments.  That  it 
was  this  memory  which  made  his  retirement  so  bitter 
seemed  certain  in  spite  of  his  new  title  and  his  great 
fortune.  Those  who  hated  him  told  us  it  was  his  own 
fault  he  was  not  trusted  and  was  put  out. 

I  never  knew  the  truth,  but  it  seems  certain  he  was 
not  a  man  who  inspired  faith  in  his  integrity  of  purpose. 
After  he  had  been  dead  some  time  I  was  listening  to  a 
woman  talk,  who  for  years  had  been  an  intimate  friend 
of  the  great  man,  and  she  said:  **He  was  the  greatest 
genius  of  the  times.  He  had  a  man's  big  body  and 
brain,  but  his  weakness  was  to  have  with  these  a  woman's 
nature  and  its  fluctuations.  It  was  because  he  wasn't 
quite  perfectly  balanced  as  between  brain  and  character, 
I  think,  that  he  had  so  many  failures  and  disillusions." 

Perhaps  that  was  the  secret. 

In  1902  I  foimd  myself  one  evening  at  an  official  din- 
ner, next  to  a  large  man  with  a  strong,  handsome  face 
and  rather  long  gray  hair,  which  was  thin  on  the  top  of 
his  head.  His  noble  poise  and  fearless,  keen  eyes  par- 
ticularly struck  me.  The  dinner  was  at  an  embassy,  and 
the  newly  arrived  chief  of  mission,  or  his  secretaries,  had 
been  sufficiently  vague  about  Russian  etiquette  to  place 
people  according  to  their  rank  of  birth  instead  of  their 
official  bureaucratic  rights. 


THE  JAPANESE  WAR  271 

Several  of  the  older  men  were  consequently  furious, 
and  criticised  their  host,  but  my  neighbor,  turning  to  me, 
said  with  a  smile:  ''They  are  amusing,  are  they  not,  to 
fuss  so  about  where  they  should  sit  ?  For  my  part  I 
admit  I  think  it  is  a  great  improvement  to  sit  at  the  end 
of  the  table  between  two  young  and  pretty  women  in- 
stead of  being  always  up  at  the  head  with  old  people  like 
myself.  I'm  grateful  to  Providence,  and  think  this  sys- 
tem should  be  encouraged." 

I  was  equally  delighted  personally,  for  I  rarely  had 
such  an  interesting  partner  as  this.  Plehve — ^for  it  was 
the  Minister  of  the  Interior — and  I  began  a  friendship 
that  evening  which  lasted  till  his  assassination.  I  knew 
little  of  his  policies.  Afterward  I  heard  he  stood  for  all 
that  was  retrograde  and  severe,  and  I  heard  him  blamed, 
too,  for  much  which  others  did  that  was  wrong.  I  am 
inclined  to  think  if  we  had  talked  of  politics  we  should 
have  disagreed  often,  but  in  the  two  or  three  seasons 
during  which  the  busy  man  came  frequently  to  my  tea- 
table  direct  from  his  chancellery  or  cabinet  meetings,  he 
never  talked  of  his  work  in  any  instance  I  can  recall. 

Occasionally  he  looked  dreadfully  weary,  would  take 
his  tea,  sink  into  a  chair,  and  say:  "Tell  me  what  you 
have  been  doing — ^have  you  been  gay?" 

Always  a  chatterbox,  I  would  plunge  into  details  of 
my  latest  ball  or  my  baby's  last  achievement,  while  he 
would  slowly  sip  his  tea,  and  listen  as  if  to  the  story  of 
a  child's  game,  with  his  big,  shaggy  head  leaning  on  the 
hand  which  shaded  his  eyes.  After  an  hour  he  would 
get  up,  and  with  a  ** Thank  you  for  a  very  pleasant  rest," 
he  would  depart.  If  others  came  in  he  joined  in  the  talk 
enough  never  to  seem  a  weight — ^but  no  more.  When 
we  were  alone,  or  when  he  was  less  tired,  he  would  stretch 
back  deep  into  his  chair,  his  head  straight,  one  hand 


272  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

holding  the  other,  or  both  at  ease  on  the  chair-arms,  and 
he  would  tell  me  quantities  of  intensely  interesting  things 
from  Russia's  history,  or  about  the  psychology  of  the 
people  and  their  art,  music,  and  literature.  An  ideal 
companion,  full  of  life  and  color,  he  gave  me  much  of 
his  splendid  fund  of  knowledge  in  these  fitful  conversa- 
tions. 

My  curiosity  was  intense.  He  knew  it  and  was  never 
trite.  It  was  a  strange  friendship,  for  Plehve  was  older 
than  my  father.  Except  that  I  knew  he  had  a  delight- 
fully typical  old  lady  for  a  wife  (since  I  had  met  her  at 
official  functions  and  we  had  exchanged  calls),  and  that 
he  once  mentioned  he  had  a  daughter  much  my  senior, 
I  heard  nothing  of  his  home  life  or  his  work.  His  patri- 
otism seemed  great,  and  he  carried  his  heavy  responsi- 
biUties  with  a  superb  strength,  which  made  no  com- 
plaint, while  he  Hved  unflinchingly  up  to  what  he  thought 
was  his  duty,  with  no  fear  or  care  for  himself. 

Oiu*  last  conversation  proved  this  mentality.  It  was 
late  in  the  spring  and  I  was  leaving  for  the  coimtry  in  a 
few  days.  Plehve  had  come  to  say  good-by,  and  re- 
mained imtil  one  or  two  other  callers  had  departed. 
After  a  Httle  silence  he  rose  to  make  his  adieux. 

"I  am  sorry  you  are  going  away,"  he  said  seriously. 
**I  have  enjoyed  coming  here  sometimes  for  a  quiet  hour 
very  much,  and  I*m  afraid  I  won't  see  you  again." 

**But  I  shall  be  back  in  town  in  the  autumn,  and,  on 
the  contrary,  I  hope  you  will  again  take  up  this  nice 
habit  of  dropping  in  on  me  often." 

'*If  I  am  still  alive  I  will  stirely  be  among  your  fre- 
quent callers,  but  these  people  who  think  I  am  doing 
everything  wrong,  and  who  have  been  trying  to  assassi- 
nate me  for  some  time  back,  are  more  than  ever  trailing 
me  now.     Probably  they  will  get  me  soon." 


THE  JAPANESE  WAR  273 

**You  are  Minister  of  the  Interior  with  the  police  in 
your  department.  Why  don't  you  protect  yourself?"  I 
asked. 

"It  wouldn't  look  well,  nor  be  well,  for  me  to  surround 
myself  with  police  and  show  fear,  wotdd  it?  When  I 
have  things  to  do  I  go  out  like  other  men,  whatever  the 
consequences.  I'm  afraid  there  is  only  one  way — to  per- 
form one's  duty  and  take  what  comes.  If  I  disappear 
there  will  be  some  one  to  replace  me.  A  pleasant  sum- 
mer to  you,  and  thanks  again !" 

He  kissed  my  hand,  and  departed  with  his  shaggy 
lion's  head  thrown  well  back  and  his  step  as  tranquil  as 
ever. 

Within  a  few  weeks — I  think  in  July — one  morning 
Plehve  was  starting  for  Peterhof  to  make  his  weekly 
report  to  the  Emperor,  when  on  his  way  to  the  railroad- 
station  a  bomb  was  thrown  at  his  carriage.  The  vehicle, 
coachman,  horses,  and  the  Minister  of  the  Interior  were 
blown  to  bits — ^beyond  recognition.  I  mourned  his 
tragic  end  very  much,  for  I  knew  that  whatever  his  poli- 
cies he  was  honest  and  faithful,  devoted  to  his  Emperor 
and  his  country,  and  that  few  had  his  courage  and  en- 
ergy, as  well  as  the  unselfish  spirit,  which  readily  sacri- 
ficed his  private  tastes  for  constant  thankless  service  and 
threatening  dangers  always  so  perfectly  realized.  He 
was  the  first  older  man  I  saw  much  of  after  my  marriage, 
and  he  seemed  to  me  typical  of  the  best  in  that  mis- 
taken group  of  the  ultra-retrograde  officials  of  old 
Russia. 

One  felt  great  changes  with  each  succeeding  season. 
The  Japanese  war  came  unexpectedly  upon  us.  Shortly 
before  it  the  great  Ito  passed  through  St.  Petersburg, 
hoping  for  a  friendly  reception  and  to  make  a  loan. 
He  was  badly  received  by  our  government,  and  pushed 


274  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

on  to  England,  where  he  effected  both  a  loan  and  soon 
afterward  a  treaty,  I  think. 

I  heard  from  the  American  Ambassador  that  Ito  had 
spoken  to  him  of  my  grandfather;  said  he  had  heard  I 
was  married  and  living  in  St.  Petersburg  and  had  asked 
could  the  Ambassador  not  arrange  a  meeting  with  me? 
Instead  of  telling  me  about  it,  the  diplomat  had  taken 
on  himself  to  reply  that  he  could  not  do  so,  as  he  felt 
sure  no  meeting  could  be  brought  about,  since  I  was 
now  a  Russian,  and  Russians  were  showing  great  preju- 
dice against  the  Japanese. 

I  was  much  annoyed  when  my  ex-compatriot  told  me 
of  this  speech  of  his  to  the  statesman  from  Japan.  It 
would  have  been  most  interesting  to  meet  Ito,  and  my 
personal  action  would  have  neither  shocked  nor  incon- 
venienced any  one,  for  Russians  are  thoroughly  broad- 
minded.  Besides,  if  there  was  a  strain,  perhaps  un- 
avoidable in  government  circles,  it  seemed  unnecessarily 
underscoring  it  to  have  a  diplomat  draw  it  into  personal 
relations.  I  was  disappointed  and  indignant  over  the 
matter,  but  it  was  too  late  to  counteract  a  most  unfor- 
tunate impression. 

Soon  afterward,  at  the  first  court  ball  of  the  season, 
my  young  brother-in-law  was  on  duty  as  the  Emperor's 
page.  Standing  just  behind  the  sovereign,  he  made  the 
tour  of  the  diplomatic  circle  and  heard  the  Emperor's 
remarks  and  questions  to  each  chief  of  mission;  also  the 
latter's  replies.  To  the  Japanese  Ambassador  His  Maj- 
esty took  great  pains  to  be  especially  gracious  that  eve- 
ning, giving  him  more  time  than  to  any  one  else,  and 
there  was  a  feeling  created  in  the  minds  of  all  as  they 
listened,  that  a  responsive  attitude  was  noticeable.  With 
their  last  words  the  Emperor  and  Japan's  representative 
each   expressed   pleasure   that    certain   difficulties   were 


THE  JAPANESE  WAR  275 

overcome  and  their  two  empires  were  good  friends. 
When  he  came  home  my  brother-in-law  told  us  of  the 
incident,  and  several  other  people  corroborated  his 
statement. 

But  the  following  day,  to  our  horror,  bad  news  spread. 
The  Variag  was  sunk,  and  the  declaration  of  war  followed 
almost  instantly.  My  husband's  regiment  was  not  or- 
dered to  Manchuria,  so  I  knew  of  the  war  only  by 
hearsay.  I  could  not  yet  read  enough  Russian  to  follow 
in  the  newspapers  our  progress  at  the  front.  I  was 
quite  ill;  our  eldest  little  girl  was  bom  a  few  days  before 
the  Petropavlovsk  went  down  in  the  fleet's  battle  at  Port 
Arthur.  As  time  progressed,  however,  I  became  more 
and  more  absorbed  by  events  in  the  East — Port  Arthur's 
siege  and  splendid  defense;  the  heroic  fighting  of  oiu* 
troops,  always  insufficiently  supplied  by  a  single-track 
and  newly  built  railroad;  the  noble  efforts  of  Prince 
Hilkoff,  Minister  of  Communications,  to  keep  the  pro- 
vision and  troop  trains  moving,  his  going  out  and  living 
at  the  point  most  difficult  to  arrange  for,  and  his  death 
out  there  from  exhaustion  toward  the  end  of  the  work  he 
carried  through  with  such  genius.  I  was  also  interested 
in  Kuropatkin's  early  prestige.  When  he  left  he  had 
so  many  icons  given  him,  it  was  said  he  had  to  add  an 
extra  car  to  his  special  train.  He  had  been  chief  of  staff 
to  Skobeleff,  the  brilliant  figure  of  the  Turkish  War,  and 
few  doubted  his  capacity  to  carry  everything  before  him 
as  our  generalissimo. 

For  many  months  no  one  in  St.  Petersburg  talked  of 
anything  but  the  Manchurian  news,  but  little  by  little 
changes  occurred  in  the  tenor  of  our  conversations.  There 
were  tales  of  disappointments  and  disillusions;  there  was 
bitterness,  pity,  the  desire  for  rest  and  peace,  and  an 
ever-increasing  anxiety;  tales  of  battles  and  ships  lost; 


276  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

tales  of  the  incompetency  of  the  commander-in-chief  and 
some  of  the  other  favorites;  tales  of  confusion  and  suffer- 
ings among  our  troops;  tales  of  officers  and  men  under 
fire  doing  heroic  work,  all  circumstances  against  them. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  entertainments  were  criticised 
which  were  being  given  on  the  special  train  of  the  com- 
mander-in-chief, and  on  that  of  the  Grand  Duke  Boris, 
who  with  a  gay  party  had  volunteered  for  service,  only 
to  gather  a  golden  sword  of  St.  George  and  to  treat  his 
blas6  tastes  to  a  new  sensation.  A  few  others  were  also 
blamed,  but  very  generally  the  army  was  admired.  The 
inefficiency  of  the  war  ministry  was  being  proved.  Also 
one  heard  constantly  of  the  weight  of  political  power  in 
the  army;  how  the  commanders  were  hampered  from  St. 
Petersburg;  how  there  was  jealousy,  or  fear  of  letting  the 
head  men  out  at  the  front  handle  the  situation  and  per- 
haps gain  more  power  and  glory  than  was  good  for  them. 
The  second  fleet  was  being  built  and  was  to  go  to  Far 
Eastern  waters.  My  sailor  brother-in-law  was  leaving 
with  it  on  the  Alexander  III,  one  of  its  biggest  ships. 
He  was  all  impatience  to  be  off,  yet  he  said — and  others 
of  his  comrades  constantly  repeated  the  same  thing — 
that  from  the  work  being  done  by  incompetent  hands 
through  favoritism,  and  the  stealing  going  on  among 
contractors  and  those  who  handled  the  contract-making, 
everything  about  the  new  fleet  was  wrong  and  of  secon- 
dary quality.  These  splendid-looking  sea-monsters  of  our 
new  unit  were  doomed  to  go  to  the  bottom  as  soon  as 
they  were  touched  in  battle.  No  one  seemed  to  be  con- 
sidered punishable  for  these  thefts  or  the  criminal  care- 
lessness, and  no  inquiry  was  possible.  The  Grand  Duke 
Alexis  was  among  those  most  seriously  accused.  We 
heard  that  the  admiral  who  was  to  take  this  fleet  to  sea 
came  and  begged  the  Emperor  on  his  knees  not  to  give 


THE  JAPANESE  WAR  277 

him  the  responsibiUty  of  this  command,  as  he  knew  the 
ships  were  not  seaworthy  nor  properly  armed  and  armored. 
Then  gossip  told  how  our  Emperor  had  explained  that 
the  fleet  as  it  was  must  go.  It  could  not  be  rebuilt,  and 
the  admiral  must  prove  his  devotion  and  save  the  im- 
perial honor. 

The  Emperor  wanted  to  move  out  to  the  front  him- 
self, and  had  many  a  long  argument  with  those  about  him 
on  this  subject,  but  was  persuaded  not  to  go,  since  his  be- 
ing so  far  away  from  the  capital  in  such  grave  times  would 
strain  the  home  situation.  It  was  already  serious  and 
needed  careful  nursing.  Once  there  was  talk  of  the 
Grand  Dtike  Nicolas-Nicolaiovitch  taking  over  the  en- 
tire command  of  our  armies,  as  Kuropatkin  made  retreat 
after  retreat  and  no  advances.  I  heard  the  Emperor 
sent  for  him  and  offered  him  the  first  place  at  the  front. 
Nicolas-Nicolaiovitch  was  reported  to  have  replied  he 
would  accept  in  the  emergency,  but  on  one  condition: 
he  would  carry  all  the  responsibility,  but  he  insisted  on 
giving  military  commands  without  advice  or  hampering 
from  the  capital.  The  Emperor  and  his  advisers  could 
not  make  up  their  minds  to  such  a  decision,  so  the  Grand 
Duke  refused  to  take  over  the  campaign.  Things  con- 
sequently stayed  as  they  were,  and  Russia  drifted  to  the 
final  defeats  at  sea  and  on  land.  Disorders  and  talk  of 
revolution  meanwhile  grew  and  the  pessimism  in  the 
capital  became  more  and  more  noticeable,  with  constant 
shilly-shallying  on  the  part  of  the  government. 

The  death  of  my  sailor  brother-in-law  from  tropical 
fever,  contracted  on  the  long  trip  to  the  Orient,  threw  us 
all  into  personal  mourning,  but  one's  soul  was  weighted 
anyhow  with  the  general  misery  and  danger.  We  women 
worked  with  one  or  another  of  the  sewing  groups,  prepar- 
ing bandages  and  underclothes  or  warm  woollen  garments 


278  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

for  the  soldiers.  A  lot  of  my  women  friends  went  out  to 
Siberia  with  various  hospital  trains  or  Red  Cross  units. 
I  personally,  though  I  managed  to  be  half  of  each  day  at 
the  large  workrooms  organized  by  the  Grand  Duchess 
Marie-Pavlovna,  foimd  time  for  nothing  more,  because 
of  my  two  babies;  one  was  but  newly  bom. 

All  parties  took  the  form  of  bazaars  or  concerts  and 
theatricals  for  the  benefit  of  war  sufferers,  and  even  the 
few  informal  gatherings,  where  one  dined  and  rolled  band- 
ages or  counted  and  folded  finished  sewing,  were  sub- 
dued with  the  thought  of  much  suffering  and  discontent 
just  beyond  our  protected  circle. 

In  the  early  years  of  my  married  life  I  had  spent 
nearly  all  my  time  in  St.  Petersburg;  even  during  the 
simimer  months  the  cool  northern  climate  seemed  more 
pleasant  than  did  the  intense  dry  heat  of  the  steppe- 
lands.  After  my  typhoid  we  had  moved  into  our  new 
apartment  on  the  beautiful  quay  of  the  Neva,  and  it  was 
there  when  we  were  settled  that  little  Mike  was  bom. 
The  stmimer  of  1901  I  spent  with  my  mother-in-law  at 
Bouromka,  taking  the  boy  there  while  my  husband  was 
in  camp  and  at  the  manoeuvres.  Both  the  baby  and  I 
felt  the  heat,  though  otherwise  I  liked  the  quiet  of  oiu- 
days,  while  the  light  French  wit  of  the  Princess  as  well 
as  my  yoimg  brother-in-law's  bubbling  joy  in  life  and 
warm  affection  for  me  prevented  dulness  or  lonesomeness. 
It  was  amusing  to  see  baby  develop,  and  during  that 
summer  I  had  also  the  happiness  of  a  visit  from  my 
parents. 

My  father  had  arranged  to  get  a  leave  from  his  duties 
in  the  Philippines  at  the  same  time  my  brother's  furlough 
from  West  Point  was  due,  and  with  my  mother  they  had 
taken  the  long  journey  to  join  me  in  Russia.  I  left 
young  Mike  with  his  paternal  grandmother,  while  with 


THE  JAPANESE  WAR  279 

my  brother-in-law  Guy  and  my  maid  I  travelled  north 
to  meet  my  own  home  people.  It  was  a  delightful  re- 
union, and  we  spent  ten  days  in  St.  Petersburg  sight- 
seeing together. 

I  had  had  no  time  or  occasion  since  my  wedding  for 
anything  like  this  before,  and  I  felt  carried  back  to  my 
girlhood  days  as  we  wandered  through  the  Russian  pal- 
aces, museimis,  and  galleries,  filled  with  marvellous  trea- 
sures generations  of  Romanoffs  had  had  offered  them  by 
vassals  or  had  bought  with  singtdar  good  judgment  and 
good  luck.  We  visited  Tsarskoe,  Peterhof,  and  Gat- 
china,  and  drove  about  the  environs.  In  the  beautiful 
white  nights  of  summer  we  were  very  loath  to  go  to  bed. 
The  sunset  left  a  world  of  delicate  mother-of-pearl  tints, 
and  the  park  drive,  out  over  the  islands,  flanked  with 
magnificent  trees  of  the  northern  forests,  was  full  of 
nightingales  who  thrilled  one  by  their  love-songs,  while 
the  soft  atmosphere  made  river  and  land,  gulf  and  sky, 
seem  of  fairy  textiu"e.  We  were  tempted  to  expect  Cath- 
arine the  Great,  with  her  courtiers,  to  step  from  the  ter- 
races of  Erlagen  palace.  I  loved  those  islands  as  I  have 
loved  few  spots  in  the  world.  In  those  early  days  they 
hypnotized  me  by  their  special  charm  of  form,  color,  and 
atmosphere;  later  they  became  associated  with  my  life 
by  the  habit  I  formed  of  wandering  in  their  beautiful 
paths  or  driveways  with  the  children  or  with  some  friend, 
when  I  needed  fresh  air  and  exercise  or  opportunity  to 
talk  or  think.  During  the  Great  War  and  the  revolu- 
tion they  were  a  refuge  from  the  signs  of  misery  which 
invaded  every  part  of  our  capital  except  their  sheltered 
dignity,  and  one  went  to  them  for  a  rest  to  eyes,  nerves, 
and  mind. 

My  father  had  not  been  in  Russia  since  his  youth,  and 
he  found  much  to  interest  him  besides  mere  sightseeing. 


280  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

In  the  politics,  the  cotintryside,  the  capital,  and  the 
mode  of  life  there  were  changes — a  move  forward.  He 
kept  repeating  that  my  adopted  people  would  become 
the  greatest  in  all  the  eastern  hemisphere  when  they 
had  lived  a  little  more.  He  thought  there  was  much 
room  for  reform  in  the  government's  method,  but  he 
loved  the  patriarchal  life  of  landowners  and  peasants, 
while  their  artistic  taste,  quick,  soft  charm,  and  talents 
did  not  escape  his  observing  eyes.  He  liked  very  much 
our  frame  and  occupations,  grew  quickly  attached  to  my 
husband,  whom  he  had  not  met  before,  and  with  whom 
he  was  soon  on  excellent  terms.  Also  he  very  much 
liked  my  family-in-law,  whom  he  met  at  Bouromka,  and 
he  adored  the  chubby,  creeping  grandson,  who  regarded 
him  with  serious  brown  eyes,  and  then  stretched  out  his 
arms  and  took  possession  of  a  willing  conquest.  It  was 
nice  to  see  the  two  together  and  to  mark  the  mutual  love 
of  the  great,  strong  grandfather  and  the  wee  boy. 

From  St.  Petersburg  to  Bouromka  we  went  by  Moscow 
and  Kieff ,  which  I  had  never  visited  till  then,  and  which 
I  vastly  enjoyed  in  such  company. 

Everything  was  made  simple  and  easy  for  us  by  the 
excellent  ability  to  organize  which  the  fifteen-year-old 
Guy  displayed  in  piloting  our  big  party.  Restaurants, 
museums,  excursions,  or  train  accommodations  were  ap- 
parently all  equally  easy  problems  for  this  young  cicerone 
to  handle,  and,  without  a  single  word  or  sign  of  agitation, 
he  carried  our  party  of  six  through  two  weeks  of  varied 
experiences,  travelling  and  sightseeing.  He  finished  up 
by  landing  his  charges  at  Bouromka  one  morning  at 
early  dawn. 

It  was  very  amusing  to  show  my  family  the  life  of  the 
great  agricultural  district  of  Russia,  with  its  waving 
fields  of  wheat,  its  myriad  workers,  and  all  the  machinery 


CHILDREN  OF  PRINCE  AND   PRINCESS   CANTACUZfeNE 
MICHAEL,  BERTHA,  AND   IDA. 


THE  JAPANESE  WAR  <mi 

we  used.  That  we  were  so  far  from  a  railroad  and  so 
dependent  on  ourselves  for  everything,  yet  so  able,  by 
organized  effort,  to  supply  ourselves  and  be  comfortable, 
even  luxurious,  stuprised  them.  The  enormous  space 
outside  and  in  the  house,  the  number  of  servants  and 
work-hands  in  the  chateau  and  on  the  estate,  the  beauty 
of  the  park  and  lake,  the  rolling  land  and  forests,  the 
richness  of  soil  and  crops,  the  size  of  our  herds  and  the 
variety  of  our  production  dazed  their  American  men- 
tality, used  to  ringing  a  telephone  or  buying  things  ready- 
made,  without  previous  planning.  That  we  made  the 
bricks,  cut  the  timber,  forged  the  metal,  had  our  own 
plumbers,  our  doctors  for  man  and  beast,  produced  our 
own  food,  whether  it  was  the  butcher's  meat,  the  smoked 
hams  and  game,  the  fish,  vegetables,  bread,  sweets,  and 
so  on;  made  our  own  linen  and  kitchen  pottery  largely, 
did  the  panelling,  inlaying,  or  carving,  making  rugs  and 
laces;  also  that  what  few  things  came  from  outside, 
whether  books,  pianos,  macaroni,  rice,  and  tea,  or  a  few 
other  luxuries  to  eat  or  to  wear,  had  to  be  dragged  by 
carts  seventy-two  versts  in  the  good  season — were  facts 
difficult  to  grasp.  That  a  telegram  came  fifty  miles  in  a 
rider's  pocket,  and  the  mail  and  newspapers  the  same 
distance  three  or  four  times  a  week,  struck  them  as 
funny.  These  primitive  ways  were  doubly  strange  as  com- 
pared with  the  excellent  cooking  and  hand  laundry,  with 
the  smartly  dressed  party  at  dinner,  the  admirable  works 
of  art,  the  family  portraits,  the  twenty  thousand  volimies 
of  famous  rare  editions  in  the  great  library,  and  the  collec- 
tions of  cameos,  jewels,  engravings,  bronzes,  old  silver  and 
china;  not  to  mention  our  cellar's  treasures,  some  vintages 
going  back  to  early  days  of  the  nineteenth  century. 

Our  life   seemed  very   attractive   to  my  father  and 
brother,  with  business  and  the  work  of  gathering  a  yearly 


282  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

income  mingled  with  diives  through  the  forests  or  cross- 
country to  points  where  harvesting  hands  were  grouped,  as 
if  for  their  ornamental  qualities.  The  forge,  the  mill,  the 
stable,  the  stud,  and  the  machine,  carpenter,  upholstery, 
carriage,  and  other  shops  amused  and  interested  my 
American  sightseers  visibly.  Our  little  world  and 
Bouromka*s  activities  fascinated  them,  and  we  were  busy 
each  day  examining  all  parts  of  the  thirty  thousand  acres 
of  intense  and  model  productivity. 

My  mother  liked  the  house  and  baby  best,  but  the 
men  enjoyed  the  out-of-door  life  and  delighted  my  hus- 
band and  brother-in-law,  who  took  them  hither  and 
thither  over  the  estate.  What  hypnotized  them  was  the 
size  of  the  place,  and  when  they  realized  that  Bouromka 
was  one  of  four,  and  that  half  of  its  land  had  been  taken 
from  us  and  given  to  the  peasants  at  the  emancipation 
of  the  serfs,  it  rather  took  away  their  breath.  My  father 
liked  the  old  servitors  and  their  picturesque  ways,  and 
he  had  occult  means  of  communicating  his  good  feeling 
to  them,  for  during  years  afterward  the  dear  creatures 
were  always  talking  of  the  visit  of  the  "American  gen- 
eral" and  what  he  did.  My  mother  they  had  seen  be- 
fore and  saw  again,  but  my  father's  one  visit  sank  deep 
into  their  simple  minds. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

THE   1906  REVOLUTION 

IN  the  summer  of  1903  I  went  abroad  to  the  wedding 
of  my  eldest  Pahner  cousin  in  London,  then  spent 
the  season  on  the  Normandy  coast  with  our  boy,  and 
that  autumn- joined  my  dear  aimt  for  a  motor  trip  through 
northern  Italy  and  southern  France,  with  the  chateaux 
of  the  Loire  thrown  in  to  make  our  programme  perfect. 
My  husband  had  been  able  to  join  us  for  this  journey. 
Later,  in  Paris,  we  were  in  grave  anxiety  over  a  serious 
case  of  typhoid  which  laid  my  aimt  low  after  we  returned 
from  our  wanderings.  I  remained  with  the  invalid  till 
the  holidays,  and  reached  St.  Petersburg  only  at  the  be- 
ginning of  the  season,  a  few  weeks  before  war  broke  out. 

We  had  taken  another  motor  trip  in  the  delightful 
country  of  the  north  of  France  and  into  Belgium  the 
year  before,  and  I  realized  with  joy  how  well  my  aunt 
and  my  husband  understood  each  other.  Uncle  Palmer 
had  died,  and  we  had  been  so  fond  of  him  it  made  an 
added  bond  by  our  sympathy  with  my  aimt's  mourning. 

The  summer  of  1904  I  spent  in  St.  Petersburg  and  at 
Bouromka  between  war  work  and  family  cares.  The 
peasants  were  being  drawn  on  for  mobilization,  and  their 
attitude  toward  the  war  was  most  curious.  They  were 
not  in  the  least  aware  of  what  it  was  all  about,  and  were 
not  especially  interested.  Japan  was  an  empty  name — 
so  was  Siberia,  for  that  matter,  it  was  so  far  away — and 
to  be  fighting  out  there  did  not  mean  to  them  a  defense 
of  their  land.  Yet  they  were  perfectly  docile.  The  Lit- 
tle Father  needed  them;  they  were  called,  and  went,  un- 
murmuring, asking  no  questions.     I  stood  on  the  porch 

283 


284  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

of  our  village  town  hall  and  heard  the  proclamation  read 
to  a  group  of  dignified,  serious  men  who  had  bathed  and 
put  on  their  holiday  clothes  ready  for  departure.  Round 
them  clung  their  women,  in  gay  kerchiefs  and  embroi- 
dered national  costumes,  while  curly-headed  children  held 
to  the  hands  of  the  protectors  they  were  to  lose  so  soon. 

Silent  and  respectful,  they  listened  to  the  imperial 
orders,  then  to  the  voice  of  their  priest,  as  he  chanted  a 
service  and  blessing,  while  the  women  wept  and  the  chil- 
dren hid  their  heads  against  the  latter's  skirts,  fright- 
ened. We  had  come  down  from  the  ch§,teau  to  bid  our 
village  contingent  Godspeed  and  to  bring  each  soldier  a 
little  medal  of  St.  George  to  protect  him  in  battle.  For 
the  first  time  I  admired  as  well  as  liked  our  peasants ! 

A  splendid  lot  of  fellows  they  were  who  went  out  to 
fight,  and  their  spirit  was  the  braver  since  their  ignorance 
offered  them  no  arguments  for  sacrifice.  They  went  into 
danger  just  because  they  were  called  for  by  their  Great 
White  Czar.  With  heads  held  high,  they  sang  one  of  the 
sad  strains  of  Little  Russia  as  they  marched  away;  but 
the  parting  had  been  hard,  and  the  women's  arms  and 
children's  nestling  heads  had  been  difficult  to  give  up. 
Roimd  two  or  three  babies'  necks  I  saw  the  red  silk  cords 
on  which  our  little  medals  had  been  hung.  These  had 
changed  places  with  last  kisses  and  were  to  protect  the 
wee  ones  instead  of  the  strong  men  themselves,  it  seemed. 
Our  village  women  were  very  helpless  at  first,  but  soon  a 
committee  was  formed  by  the  elders  among  the  peas- 
antry. Men  left  at  home  organized  the  general  labor  of 
all  the  commune  lands,  so  the  families  remaining  without 
breadwinners  should  be  cared  for  still. 

The  war  had  an  excellent  effect  on  our  people.  They 
learned  to  handle  questions  of  provisioning  the  extra 
women  and  children,  in  this  showing  both  ability  and 


THE   1906  REVOLUTION  285 

good  sense.  The  soldiers  who  travelled  across  the  em- 
pire brought  back  new  light,  with  ideas  of  Russia's  size 
that  were  not  mythical;  in  certain  cases  an  enthusiasm 
for  our  great  Far  East  which  led  to  the  emigration  of  a 
lot  of  fine  people  to  the  Siberian  plains.  The  era  of  the 
war  and  the  miserable  management  of  everything  brought 
out  a  new  spirit  in  many  classes  of  Russians.  The  lib- 
erals— and  most  of  the  nobility  I  saw  were  in  this  group 
— ^felt  it  was  high  time  the  coimtry  should  be  put  in  order 
and  helped  forward,  with  education  given  and  land 
reforms  made,  as  well  as  various  other  necessary  mea- 
sures to  be  taken  for  the  general  good.  The  army  offi- 
cials were  keen  to  see  a  saner  policy  pursued  by  the 
government  and  wished  the  sovereign  would  make  re- 
forms of  his  own  accord.  These  might  be  gifts  now. 
We  were  beginning  to  feel  that  otherwise  they  would  be- 
come concessions  torn  from  him  in  the  near  future. 

I  do  not  think  the  young  Empress  had  at  that  time 
any  special  political  influence  or  ambition,  but  her  per- 
sonal weight  with  the  Emperor  was  very  great,  for  he 
was  deeply  in  love  with  her.  From  taste,  or  because  she 
was  beginning  to  feel  her  unpopularity,  she  influenced 
him  always  more  and  more  toward  a  mystical,  reHgious, 
retired  life,  and  by  degrees,  with  one  excuse  or  another, 
she  got  rid  of  all  those  who  thought  the  Emperor's  duty 
was  to  show  himself  oftener  and  take  more  part  in  the 
nation's  life. 

The  court  was  reduced  to  a  small  number  of  atten- 
dants, among  whom  Mademoiselle  Taneeff — soon  to  be- 
come by  her  marriage  Madame  Wiroboff — was  begin- 
ning to  appear  constantly  with  her  mistress.  The  Em- 
press's poor  health  was  a  good  reason  for  seeing  almost 
no  one,  and  this  and  the  fragile  heir's  extreme  youth 
were  the  excuses  for  long  sojourns  at  Tsarskoe  Selo  or 


286  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

at  Peterhof .  The  distance  from  the  capital  made  refus- 
ing to  receive  everyone  appropriate.  Previous  to  this 
time  the  lady  in  waiting  and  the  aide-de-camp  on  duty 
each  day  had  invariably  eaten  at  the  imperial  table. 
Now,  by  the  Empress's  desire,  they  were  no  longer  in- 
vited, and  many  rebelled  at  being  held  at  arm's  length. 
The  intrigues  Madame  Wiroboff  was  always  carrying  on 
against  one  or  another  of  her  colleagues,  who  were  gradu- 
ally being  banished,  made  us  all  angry. 

Charlatan  doctors  followed  one  another  in  an  occult 
situation  at  court.  Meantime  the  Emperor  was  influ- 
enced into  leaning  toward  the  most  reactionary  of  the 
ministers,  supposedly  very  largely  by  his  wife's  advice. 
This  was  not  a  settled  policy,  however,  and  he  swerved 
away  from  time  to  time  by  some  word,  gesture,  or  act 
which  made  his  faithful  subjects  who  were  anxious  for 
his  success  breathe  again,  with  renewed  hope. 

Once  a  great  deputation  came  to  him,  and  was  re- 
ceived with  all  due  pomp  in  the  Winter  Palace.  It 
came  to  petition  humbly  that  an  assembly  of  the  people's 
representatives  might  be  convened,  asking  only  consul- 
tative rights.  These  men  were  thoroughly  snubbed,  and 
with  a  few  cold  sentences  were  sent  about  their  business. 
Events  jostled  one  another.  One  could  scarcely  get  one's 
breath,  with  the  new  anxieties  and  excitements  of  the 
winter  of  1905.  There  were  disorders  in  the  factory  dis- 
tricts in  Poland.  At  Moscow  and  in  several  other  cities 
real  revolution  was  occurring.  The  murder  of  several 
ministers  and  of  the  Grand  Duke  Serge,  also  attempts 
on  the  lives  of  many  prominent  men,  added  bloodshed. 
Finally  the  crowd  from  the  outskirts  of  the  capital  came 
to  the  Winter  Palace  one  January  Sunday  to  see  the 
Emperor  and  call  to  him  for  bread.  His  flight  to  Tsar- 
skoe — against  his  will,  it  was  said — ^and  the  orders  given 


THE   1906  REVOLUTION  287 

to  fire  on  the  crowd  were  bad  signs.  The  imperial 
guards  were  all  sent  out  for  this  work  of  calming  and 
patrolling  the  city,  and  I  know  there  was  a  meeting  of 
some  officers  (of  one  regiment,  at  least),  who  questioned 
whether  these  orders  were  not  to  be  disobeyed.  They  fell 
into  line,  however,  and  followed  the  road  of  military  disci- 
pline. But  with  many  the  temptation  to  rebellion  was 
very  strong,  as  they  realized  everything  had  been  done 
to  make  the  situation  acute,  and  that  the  nation  had 
been  long-suffering  in  the  hands  of  a  bHnd  bureaucratic 
machine  which,  however  good  its  intentions,  was  terribly 
out  of  date.  Every  reasonable  man  and  woman  felt 
reforms  were  in  order. 

For  months  the  pendultmi  swung  backward  and  for- 
ward. The  Emperor  resisted  the  upheaval,  but  the  war 
disasters  occurred,  peace  was  signed,  every  one  suffered, 
and  at  last  the  situation  in  the  capital  became  critical. 
Post  and  railroad  service  stopped,  there  was  a  question 
of  water  and  electricity  doing  likewise,  and  no  one  dared 
prophesy  what  each  day  might  bring  forth.  Through 
the  Bloody  Simday  period  in  early  1905  my  husband 
with  his  comrades  was  on  duty  in  the  streets.  He  had 
been  called  to  the  regimental  barracks  on  the  Satiu'day 
evening,  and  had  said,  if  he  could,  he  would  give  me  news 
by  phone,  but  I  was  not  to  try  to  reach  him.  Sunday 
one  of  the  officer's  wives  who  lived  in  an  apartment  in 
the  barracks  rang  me  up  to  say  our  commanding  general 
had  asked  her  to  notify  all  the  women  that  our  troops 
were  ordered  out  on  duty  against  the  rioters.  She  could 
not  say  where  they  were  going,  but  were  there  further 
news  she  would  let  us  hear.  After  talking  it  over,  we 
wives  decided  the  trouble  must  be  out  in  the  factory 
districts. 

Sunday  night  there  was  to  be  an  informal  dinner  at  the 


288  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

Orloffs',  who  lived  some  twenty  minutes'  drive  from  us. 
To  get  there  I  had  to  pass  up  the  quay,  across  the  palace 
square,  and  down  the  Grand  Morskaia.  I  telephoned  to 
Princess  Orloff,  who  told  me  she  did  not  know  who  would 
come,  but  that  all  was  quiet  in  her  neighborhood  and 
she  was  alone  and  anxious  to  have  me  there  for  com- 
pany's sake.  Her  husband  had  been  on  duty  with  the 
sovereign  for  forty-eight  hours  past,  and  had  accom- 
panied the  imperial  family  to  Tsarskoe  the  night  before. 
Of  course  she  had  not  heard  from  him.  Wouldn't  I 
come  and  dine  even  if  we  were  to  be  but  two  ?  I  said  I 
was  at  home  with  my  babies,  had  been  cut  off  from  all 
rumors  for  twenty-four  hours.  Also  that  the  streets  in 
my  quarter  seemed  normal  and  I  would  make  the  at- 
tempt to  get  to  her,  reserving  the  right  to  turn  back  in 
case  I  encountered  obstacles. 

I  ordered  out  my  small  open  sleigh,  with  a  single  fast 
trotter  and  faithful,  strong  Dimenti,  my  favorite  coach- 
man, thinking  this  unpretentious  vehicle  would  not  at- 
tract attention,  and  the  big  man  and  rapid  horse  would 
make  for  safety.  On  the  quay,  when  I  started,  there  was 
no  sign  of  life.  Then  suddenly  as  we  glided  onward  we 
saw  small  fires  burning,  cavalry  horses  picketed  about 
them,  while  the  riders  sat  on  the  ground  warming  them- 
selves. Sentinels  marched  up  and  down  in  the  biting 
cold,  and  here  and  there  in  porters'  lodges  of  some  palace 
or  ministry  buildings  hot  coffee  or  soup  was  being  served 
to  half-frozen  officers.  The  soldiers  were  more  com- 
fortable, for  their  arrangements  were  made  as  if  at 
manoeuvres  and  their  portable  kitchens  were  at  work. 
No  provision  was  made  for  the  officers.  Some  sent 
home,  as  did  my  husband,  for  a  fur  robe  and  sandwiches 
with  a  bottle  of  wine,  while  others  took  turns  enjoying 
the  hospitality  of  friendly  neighboring  houses  to  snatch 


THE   1906  REVOLUTION  289 

sleep.  They  spent  their  waking  hours  seated  on  the 
curbstone  by  the  camp-fires.  The  thermometer  was  far 
below  freezing,  the  air  like  crystal,  and  the  river  and  the 
town  deadly  silent,  as  I  crossed  them.  Gold  domes  and 
spires  of  our  churches  shimmered,  and  the  palaces  looked 
as^proud  and  splendid  as  in  ordinary  times,  though  a  pall 
of  fear  and  threat  haunted  the  picture,  and  it  seemed 
horribly  lonesome  to  be  the  only  person  about.  I  reached 
my  destination  safely,  after  being  stopped  as  I  passed 
the  cordon  of  troops  going  into  the  palace's  protected 
zone  and  getting  out  of  it  again.  We  sat  alone  at  din- 
ner, Princess  Orloff  and  I,  and  first  one  message,  then 
another,  came  to  us.  It  was  said  that  a  riot  was  taking 
place  at  the  other  end  of  the  Grand  Morskaia  with  ma- 
chine guns  trained  on  the  mob.  It  was  then  reported 
the  mob  was  marching  out  to  Tsarskoe  Selo,  to  attack 
the  imperial  family  in  their  refuge.  We  were  told  about 
ten  other  wild  rumors  which  the  frightened  servants 
brought  in  from  their  expeditions  to  the  tea-houses  in 
the  neighborhood,  or  which  were  telephoned  us  by  friends 
shut  up  alone  and  as  panic-stricken  as  ourselves. 

There  was  to  have  been  a  gala  ballet  at  the  Imperial 
Opera  House  that  night,  and  the  Orloffs  had  arranged 
their  dinner  as  a  prelude  to  the  performance.  Of  course 
we  did  not  think  of  going,  but  to  see  how  the  public 
temper  was  a  footman  telephoned  to  the  box-office,  and 
was  told,  of  course,  the  performance  was  off,  and  the 
place  was  surrounded  by  sentinels,  like  most  other  pub- 
lic buildings.  Three  times  that  evening  we  got  authen- 
tic news.  Once  my  husband  telephoned  to  me,  mainly 
to  say  that  I  was  crazy  to  be  out,  but  incidentally  he 
announced  the  quarter  where  he  was  stationed  with  his 
squadron  was  quiet  and  that  they  had  not  fired  a  shot 
nor  seen  any  rioters  in  the  twelve  hours  they  had  been 


290  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

there  near  the  Marble  Palace.  I  was  not  to  be  anxious, 
though  they  were  ordered  to  spend  the  night.  He  had 
sent  an  orderly  home  for  his  fur  robe  and  long  fur  coat 
and  had  thus  heard  of  my  escapade.  I  told  him  I  had 
moved  easily,  was  in  plain  tailor  clothes,  and  using  our 
small  sleigh,  and  I  reassured  him  as  to  the  wisdom  of  my 
expedition;  regaled  him,  also,  with  the  sensational  gossip 
which  had  reached  me. 

Then  we  had  a  telephone  from  Prince  Orloff ,  long  dis- 
tance from  his  apartment  in  the  Imperial  Palace  at  Tsar- 
skoe.  He  said  to  his  wife  the  trip  out  had  been  easily 
accomplished;  they  were  well  protected  by  some  of  the 
guard  regiments  stationed  at  Tsarskoe;  that  many  of  the 
Emperor's  suite  had  rushed  there  to  show  their  loyalty; 
several  of  the  court  group  showed  great  nervousness 
when  every  little  while  the  rumor  was  served  to  them 
that  the  mob  was  on  the  highroad;  that  the  Emperor 
himself  was  entirely  calm  and  had  shown  courage;  had 
not  wished  to  leave  the  city,  but  was  persuaded  '*in 
order  to  save  bloodshed."  He  said  the  Empress  was 
very  anxious  and  nervous  for  the  Emperor's  safety  and 
that  of  the  Czarevitch  and  her  other  children.  She  had 
been  tranquillized,  however,  by  General  OrloflE  (no  rela- 
tion to  Prince  Orloff).  The  general  at  that  time  was  the 
dashing  yoimg  commander  of  the  "Empress's  Own  Regi- 
ment of  Lancers  of  the  Guard,"  and  was  supposed  to 
have  been  in  love  with  Her  Majesty.  He  assured  her 
no  one  should  approach  the  imperial  family  save  over 
his  own  dead  b(5dy  and  those  of  her  twelve  himdred  de- 
voted lancers!  Prince  Orloff  gave  us  but  an  outline  of 
all  this  over  the  wire  and  filled  in  the  blank  spaces  when 
I  saw  him  a  few  days  later. 

Finally,  Prince  and  Princess  Belosselsky  telephoned  to 
their  daughter  (Princess  Orloff  was  bom  Belosselsky)  to 


THE   1906  REVOLUTION  291 

say  there  was  serious  rioting  in  their  quarter  of  the  sub- 
urbs, on  the  islands,  and  that  if  she  could  put  them  up 
they  purposed  to  move  into  town,  bringing  some  of  their 
household,  their  two  daughters-in-law  and  three  grand- 
children, abandoning  temporarily  their  Krestovsky  pal- 
ace. Happily  the  Orloffs'  home  was  large,  for  the  house 
party  lasted  several  days,  and  became  a  gay  picnic,  the 
danger  once  over. 

I  went  home  that  night  as  I  had  come,  and  remained 
indoors  all  day  Monday  with  the  children.  In  the  after- 
noon I  had  a  prolonged  visit  from  Mr.  McCormick,  the 
American  Ambassador,  accompanied  by  two  or  three  of 
his  secretaries.  Mr.  McCormick  had  received  a  cable 
from  my  father,  telling  him  to  take  care  of  the  children 
and  me  at  the  embassy,  and  he  had  therefore  come  to 
fetch  us.  I  felt  sure  news  had  been  greatly  exaggerated 
in  transmission  to  America,  and  as  the  danger,  if  there 
had  been  any  for  us,  was  over,  I  refused  to  take  refuge 
as  planned.  I  found  Mr.  McCormick  appreciated  the 
reason  in  my  argument,  and  on  my  promise  to  let  him 
know  and  to  change  my  mind  if  anything  occurred  to 
make  me  apprehensive,  he  said  he  would  cable  my  family 
I  was  safe  and  comfortable,  and  give  them  the  real  con- 
ditions. 

Afterward  I  heard  my  parents  had  been  seriously 
worried,  as  the  New  York  papers  had  talked  of  Bloody 
Simday  in  large  print  and  announced  the  Neva  was  run- 
ning red  with  blood  and  fifty  thousand  people  had  been 
butchered !  As  a  matter  of  fact  I  have  never  heard  it 
said  there  had  been  more  than  two  hundred  and  eighty- 
five  killed  in  those  days  of  disorder. 

The  spring  was  much  quieter  in  town,  but  on  various 
estates  grave  disorders  occurred.  Some  chateaux  were 
burned  or  looted,  and  all  landowners  felt  anxious.     How- 


292  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

ever,  I  think  in  all  the  cases  where  looting  and  burning 
occurred,  there  had  been  landlords  absent  for  years,  no 
longer  in  touch  with  their  peasants,  and  frequently  a 
German  superintendent  had  managed  the  estates  and 
had  squeezed  the  people  and  exploited  them.  At  one 
place,  that  of  old  Prince  K ,  there  was  really  a  per- 
sonal hatred  of  him  for  his  oppressions.  His  own  class 
greatly  blamed  him.  Most  estates  in  our  rich  and  beau- 
tiful province  of  Poltava  had  about  our  experience. 

In  the  early  spring  there  had  been  some  threats  made 
against  our  superintendent,  and  the  latter,  feeling  rather 
small,  alone  against  the  three  villages,  had  promptly 
abandoned  his  post  and  taken  the  first  train  for  St. 
Petersburg  **to  report."  My  mother-in-law  and  hus- 
band did  not  receive  the  faint-hearted  gentleman  at  all 
well,  and  he  was  dismissed  at  once  from  our  service. 

Naturally  the  regimental  commander  would  not  give 
my  husband  leave  of  absence  with  the  city  under  martial 
law,  and  my  brother-in-law  was  but  a  boy  and  at  school, 
so  old  Auguste  started  with  his  own  ready  consent  to  go 
down  to  Bouromka,  talk  to  the  peasants,  find  out  the 
trouble,  and  report  by  telegraph.  He  went,  sent  back 
word  everything  was  all  right,  and  stayed  on  juggling 
with  the  situation  till  another  man  was  engaged  and  in- 
stalled and  my  husband  could  go  to  settle  the  new  super- 
intendent. This  was  after  St.  Petersburg  was  perfectly 
quiet 

When  we  first  reached  Boiiromka  in  early  summer  it 
looked  and  seemed  about  as  usual.  We  enjoyed  our 
stay  extremely.  I  heard  from  some  one  of  the  servants 
the  way  our  peasants  were  being  won  to  revolution  was 
by  propaganda  sheets  which  announced  His  Majesty  had 
been  capt\ired  and  thrown  into  prison  by  the  bureaucrats 
and  landowners,  and  that  he  called  on  his  peasants  to 


THE  1906  REVOLUTION  293 

come  to  his  rescue.     This  seemed  a  most  eloquent  tribute 
to  our  humble  peasants'  loyalty  to  their  ruler ! 

Late  that  summer  I  went  abroad  with  my  two  children 
to  see  my  aunt.  I  was  glad  of  the  rest  and  a  change  fol- 
lowing what  had  been  a  most  exciting  year.  Cantacu- 
z^ne  had  his  autumn  leave  after  the  manoeuvres,  and  he 
joined  us.  We  were  motoring  in  England  when  he  re- 
ceived a  telegram  ordering  him  back  at  once  to  his  regi- 
ment in  St.  Petersburg.  From  Oxford,  where  the  wire 
foimd  us,  he  started  within  an  hour  by  direct  train  for 
the  Dover  boat,  and  I  was  to  follow  as  soon  as  I  could 
gather  up  oiu*  children  and  baggage  and  get  accommoda- 
tions on  the  North  Express.  A  week  later  I  made  the 
crossing  from  Dover  to  Ostend  with  the  two  children  and 
their  old  nurse.  My  French  maid  had  refused  to  come 
along,  saying  it  '*was  madness  to  go  to  a  country  in  rev- 
olution," so  I  abandoned  her  in  London.  We  found 
comfortable  compartments  in  our  wagon  de  luxe,  and  with 
nothing,  as  I  supposed,  to  disturb  us  till  the  changing  of 
trains  at 'the  Russian  frontier,  we  settled  ourselves,  un- 
packed oiu*  bags,  had  dinner,  and  the  yoimgsters — aged 
four-and-a-half  and  one-and-a-half  years — ^were  tucked 
into  their  berths. 

After  passing  Liege  I  was  just  beginning  to  undress 
when  a  conductor  came  through  the  car  and  stopped  at 
my  compartment  door.     He  knocked  and  I  opened. 

"Are  you  the  lady  going  to  St.  Petersburg  whose  tick- 
ets I  verified  a  little  while  ago  ? " 
1  am. 

**We  have  just  had  news  at  Li^ge  that  the  Compagnie 
Internationale  cannot  take  passengers  through,  beyond 
the  Russian  frontier,  as  all  trains  are  stopped  there  by  a 
strike.  The  telegram  is  from  Konigsberg,  ordering  us  to 
warn  all  passengers.     Madam  can  go  through  to  Konigs- 


294  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

berg  and  wait  there,  or  get  off  at  Berlin.  I  am  sure  as 
soon  as  possible  service  will  be  continued." 

I  felt  rather  dazed  by  the  possibilities.  This  news 
meant  probable  danger  in  St.  Petersburg — certainly  pri- 
vations of  various  kinds;  supply  of  fresh  milk  cut  off. 
Little  Mike  and  Baby  Bertha  were  young  to  face  all 
that.  Yet  I  wanted  to  reach  home  as  soon  as  possible, 
for  it  seemed  it  was  there  I  had  a  first  duty.  If  I  took 
the  children  to  Berlin  or  Konigsberg  I  would  be  tied 
down  by  them  to  a  foreign  city  till  life  at  home  became 
entirely  settled,  and  I  neither  wanted  to  linger  in  Ger- 
many nor  did  I  feel  I  ought  to  abandon  them  anywhere 
on  the  road  and  push  on  alone. 

Suddenly  I  had  a  brilliant  idea.  I  would  take  our 
whole  party  back  to  London,  pack  the  children  off  to 
America  with  my  aunt,  and  then,  being  foot-loose  and 
free,  I  would  return  to  the  frontier  of  Russia  and  see 
what  could  be  arranged  about  getting  through  to  the 
capital.  I  asked  the  conductor  if  I  could  get  off  at  Aix- 
la-Chapelle  and  get  my  baggage  from  the  baggage-car  ? 

*'That  will  be  in  a  half -hour,  madam,  and  I  don't 
know;  such  a  thing  was  never  done  before,  to  get  off  a 
North  Express  in  the  middle  of  the  night  and  desire  to 
open  the  baggage-car,  which  is  sealed,  and  take  out  bag- 
gage which  has  been  checked  through  to  St.  Petersburg.'* 

I  asked  if  he  could  take  those  trunks  through  to  their 
destination. 

"No,  madam,  but  Aix  is  so  soon." 

I  persuaded  him  that  Aix  was  as  good  as  Berlin  to 
take  off  trunks,  and  that  since  the  train's  stopping  com- 
pletely at  the  Russian  frontier  made  an  unusual  circum- 
stance, the  mere  fact  of  another  exception  to  rule  was 
but  a  detail. 

He  went  off  to  get  the  train-master  and  bring  him  to 


THE   1906   REVOLUTION  295 

discuss  our  situation  and  my  unreasonable  ideas.  Mean- 
while I  roused  the  tired  babies  and  nurse  and  put  them 
back  into  their  clothes.  I  was  convinced  that  to  return 
to  London  was  my  right  programme.  The  train-master 
or  conductor-in-chief  was  easy  to  convert,  and  soon  we 
were  scrambling  down  into  the  dark  night  from  our  well- 
warmed,  cosey  compartments,  with  our  trunks  and  bags 
thrown  out  beside  us  and  the  North  Express  disappear- 
ing in  the  distance. 

After  a  little  I  began  to  think  I  had  made  a  grave  mis- 
take. The  station  was  dark  and  deserted,  the  night 
cold,  and  I  had  not  planned  my  next  steps.  I  found  a 
man  to  carry  our  hand-baggage  and  asked  him  about  the 
nearest  hotel.  He  showed  me  one  across  the  road,  said 
it  was  not  good,  but  he  thought  I  could  get  two  or  three 
rooms  there.  I  started  him,  the  children,  the  nurse,  and 
the  small  baggage  over.  Then  I  went  to  the  station- 
master,  who  arranged  for  oiu:  tickets  to  London,  gave 
me  the  time  of  departure  early  next  morning,  and  re- 
versed my  tnmk-checks  so  our  things  would  return  to 
London  with  us.  I  also  sent  a  telegram  to  my  aunt.  I 
was  able  to  rejoin  my  little  people  then  with  everything 
prepared  for  the  morrow's  trip. 

I  did  not  like  the  looks  of  the  hotel  people,  still  less 
the  rooms*  aspect;  but  the  children  were  too  weary  from 
their  long  day  and  our  trip  from  London  to  go  farther. 
I  put  them  in  the  inside  room  with  nurse,  who  assured 
me  the  sheets  of  the  beds  had  been  used  and  the  wash- 
stand  not  cleaned.  I  was  imsympathetic,  said  as  it  was 
after  midnight  and  we  must  rise  at  five  she  could  let  the 
children  sleep  outside  the  bed-covers  on  her  own  travel- 
ling-shawls with  their  little  pillows,  and  that  they  need 
not  wash  till  we  were  on  the  London  Express  next 
morning. 


296  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

They  were  all  much  too  sleepy  to  care  long  about  dis- 
comfort, so  my  advice  was  taken  and  quiet  soon  reigned 
in  the  temporary  nursery.  I  had  the  sitting-room  to 
myself,  and  was  very  much  frightened  by  the  noise  and 
looks  of  the  place  we  were  in.  It  had  gilt,  shoddy  furni- 
ture and  mirrors;  dirt  everywhere;  a  door  that  though 
locked,  looked  as  if  it  would  shake  down  easily  under 
pressure.  Everything  in  the  room  was  cracked  or  broken 
as  if  fights  were  the  natural  ending  of  the  days'  enter- 
tainments, and  from  somewhere  in  the  house  came 
shouts,  oaths,  and  shuffling,  which  to  my  frightened  ears 
seemed  very  threatening. 

^  About  daylight  things  quieted  down,  and  though  a 
few  guests  started  off  singing  in  the  street,  while  others 
tumbled  up-stairs  past  my  door,  banging  against  it  by 
accident,  no  harm  came  to  us.  I  had  spent  most  of  the 
night  awake,  resting  on  a  sofa,  with  my  revolver  on  the 
table  by  me.     It  was  the  only  thing  I  had  unpacked. 

When  the  hour  to  depart  came  the  town  was  still 
asleep,  but  a  push-cart  was  found  and  our  bags  piled  on 
it  and  taken  to  the  station.  There  the  head  man  was 
most  attentive  and  put  us  into  our  right  train,  politely 
arranging  all  our  baggage,  out  of  pity  for  our  forlorn 
state,  I  think. 

Years  before  I  had  been  with  my  father  at  Aix-la- 
Chapelle  and  had  kept  a  charming  memory  of  the  pretty 
town  and  its  beautiful  old  church  so  closely  associated 
with  Charlemagne.  Now  I  was  glad  to  shake  its  dust 
from  my  feet,  and  feel  I  was  going  back  to  England. 

Once  in  London  everything  worked  out  for  the  best. 
My  aunt  said,  with  her  sweetness  of  old  days,  she  was 
delighted  to  have  us  back  for  a  little,  and  that  she  would 
take  the  children  safely  to  my  parents  in  America.  The 
latter  cabled  they  would  gladly  keep  their  grandchildren 


THE   1906  REVOLUTION  »07 

for  me.  My  husband  wired  his  consent  to  my  proposed 
plan.  So  one  morning  early  I  parted  from  the  little 
people.  My  aunt  and  the  babies  started  for  a  steamer 
at  Southampton,  I  for  the  Dover-Ostend  boat  to  attempt 
again  the  trip  home — alone  this  time,  with  baggage  much 
reduced,  and  one  small  trunk  so  packed  that  in  case 
trains  were  not  running  in  Russia,  I  cotdd  arrange  to 
travel  by  troika  sleigh  from  Germany  to  St.  Petersburg, 
leaving  my  heavier  tnmks  at  our  frontier  station. 

At  Liege  I  was  told  again  no  trains  were  going  through. 
At  Berlin  the  news  was  still  imchanged,  but  I  felt  en- 
couraged, anyhow,  for  the  American  Ambassador,  Mr. 
George  Meyer,  and  his  secretary,  Mr.  Miles,  going  to 
St.  Petersburg,  got  on  my  car.  I  knew  I  would  have 
protection  and  company,  whatever  happened.  As  we 
neared  Russia  the  train  emptied  rapidly.  Finally  I  think 
there  were  no  travellers  but  Mr.  Meyer's  party,  myself,  a 
nice  yoimg  man  I  had  met  casually  in  society  in  St. 
Petersburg,  and  one  other  stranger.  At  the  frontier  the 
embassy  chasseur  in  uniform  met  the  Ambassador. 

I  had  been  asked  by  my  husband  to  bring  him  back 
a  new  revolver,  also  one  for  a  friend  of  his;  this  besides 
my  own.  I  was  in  grave  doubt  as  to  how  to  pass  my 
purchases  into  a  coimtry  where  both  arms  and  ammuni- 
tion were  recently  forbidden.  Mr.  Meyer  solved  the 
problem. 

'*What  have  you  in  that  case?"  he  asked,  pointing, 
and  I  answered  that  case  held  my  jewels. 

"Well,  suppose  you  confide  your  finery  to  me.  I  can 
pass  it  by  the  customs,  since  it  isn't  dutiable,  with  a 
good  conscience.  Before  handing  it  over,  if  you  want 
to  pack  cartridges  in  your  jewel-case,  I  don't  see  who 
can  prevent  it." 

I  did  this  on  his  hint,  and  when  we  got  out  to  change 


298  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

trains  Mr.  Miles  politely  helped  carry  my  valuables, 
choosing  that  particular  box,  so  my  dangerous  weapons 
actually  entered  Russia  in  another's  hands. 

Once  the  frontier  was  crossed  our  advance  was  mere 
chance.  One  train  had  started  ahead  of  us  and  had 
reached  Gatchina  without  mishap,  from  which  place  the 
travellers  had  gone  to  St.  Petersburg  by  sleigh.  We 
expected  to  be  stopped  at  any  station  and  to  take  this 
same  means  for  the  final  stages  of  our  journey — so  we 
had  our  rugs  and  bags  strapped  and  ready.  At  each 
station,  however,  some  official  would  come  through  the 
train  and  announce  that  since  we  were  still  safe,  we 
would  push  on  to  the  next  town.  We  would  thank  our 
good  angels  for  their  protection  and  would  take  up  our 
cards  or  books  again,  postponing  anxiety. 

The  dining-car,  of  which  we  had  taken  possession,  was 
cheerful,  and  on  the  whole  the  journey  passed  easily, 
with  just  enough  of  the  imexpected  to  make  it  constantly 
interesting.  Triumphantly  we  rolled  into  the  big  sta- 
tion at  the  capital,  and  felt  we  were  the  first  to  open 
traffic  again  on  the  full  length  of  the  route. 

My  husband  came  to  meet  me,  glad  to  think  the  chil- 
dren were  in  safety  and  that  I  had  returned  home  for  the 
winter  in  spite  of  the  troubles,  which  still  kept  the  city's 
inhabitants  on  the  alert.  There  had  been  a  general 
strike  on  and  off  for  two  or  three  weeks.  Amateur  vol- 
unteers had  been  sorting  and  delivering  mails,  and  even 
the  telegraph  had  not  functioned  for  a  time.  Now 
things  were  quieter,  but  no  one  professed  to  know  what 
the  morrow  might  bring  forth.  The  winter  promised  to 
be  interesting. 

When  disorder  had  been  calmed  in  St.  Petersburg  and 
elsewhere,  and  the  iron  discipline  of  Trepoff  as  dictator 
was  relaxed,  a  new  government  established  itself.     It 


THE   1906  REVOLUTION  299 

brought  a  notable  change  on  the  landowners*  estates  and 
to  the  peasants'  homes;  at  least  this  was  so  in  our  prov- 
ince, south  of  Kieff,  where  I  saw  events  develop.  The 
Grand  Duke  Nicolas  was  put  in  command  of  the  troops 
in  and  around  St.  Petersburg;  and  though  he  stood  for 
discipline,  and  maintained  it  in  the  city,  he  was  also  just 
and  generous,  a  Russian  among  Russians,  and  under- 
stood his  charge  and  responsibility.  He  lived  up  to  his 
duties  with  the  same  calm,  intelligent  grasp  of  the  sub- 
ject which  he  showed  later  as  commander-in-chief  during 
the  World  War.  He  expressed  confidence  and  showed  it 
always. 

Unused  to  his  ways,  the  secret  police  suffered  a  long- 
drawn-out  agony  in  their  efforts  to  guard  his  person. 
They  annoyed  him  extremely  by  their  ceremony,  and 
finally,  I  was  told,  the  Grand  Dtike  made  a  bargain  with 
them.  He  offered  on  his  side  to  give  up  all  pleasures — 
not  go  to  the  theatres,  or  operas,  or  his  club — ^but  when- 
ever his  duties  took  him  on  inspection  tours,  or  to  Tsar- 
skoe  to  report  to  the  sovereign,  or  elsewhere  for  his  work, 
they — the  police — on  their  side  should  not  pester  him 
with  their  warnings,  advice,  care,  and  attention.  If 
they  could  guard  him  without  his  knowing  it,  they  might 
have  this  pleasure.  I  fancy  after  that  the  secret  police 
were  led  a  life  of  it  by  the  fearless  and  energetic  Grand 
Duke,  though  he  did  give  up  his  club  and  his  evening 
engagements  for  a  time ;  but  he  worked  all  day,  and  they 
were  always  tracing  or  trying  to  trace  his  movements. 

I  know  once  he  had  come  to  pay  me  a  call  at  tea-time, 
and  about  half  an  hour  after  his  departure  police  head- 
quarters rang  me  up. 

**Has  the  Grand  Duke  left  your  house  since  long,  Your 
Highness?" 

"About  half  an  hour  ago,"  I  replied. 


300  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

"And  he  did  not  mention  where  he  was  going?" 

*'No." 

"We  heard  from  some  one  at  the  palace  he  was  going 
to  you,  and  we  had  your  street  and  home  guarded,  but 
now  he  has  again  escaped  our  care,  and  yet  we  are 
responsible  for  his  safety,  and  don't  know  where  to  find 
him." 

The  voice  sounded  desperate.  I  inferred  the  grand 
personage — for  the  chief  was  that  in  every  sense — prob- 
ably was  not  momentarily  as  popular  with  this  harassed 
official  as  he  was  with  his  troops  and  the  people  on  the 
streets. 

His  splendid  figure  and  eagle  face  were  becoming  a 
well-known  and  welcome  sight  as  he  moved  about  the  city 
unostentatiously  in  an  equipage  from  the  club  cab-stand, 
or  his  own  unpretentious  sleigh  with  a  beautiful  single 
fast  trotter  drawing  it. 

Another  figure  growing  popular  in  St.  Petersburg  at 
this  time  was  that  of  Stolypin.  He  had  been  made 
"President  of  the  Council  of  Ministers"  and  had  been 
allowed  to  form  a  cabinet  largely  of  men  who  were  liberal. 

After  himself,  the  most  noticeable  personality  in  this 
group  was  Krivaschene.  Newly  named  Minister  of  Agri- 
culture, he  possessed  intellect  and  character,  knew  his 
duties  to  perfection,  and  the  peasants'  psychology  as 
well.  Speaking  no  language  but  Russian,  even  in  so- 
ciety, this  man  of  rugged  and  brusque  ways  made  a 
great  hit,  and  was  soon  a  much-invited  and  highly  hon- 
ored guest  at  many  a  great  dinner,  where  on  serious  sub- 
jects he  led  the  conversation,  and  in  frivolous  ones 
looked  on  and  listened  in  silent  study  of  society's  queer 
ways.  He  was  a  very  powerful  person,  this  Kriva- 
schene, with  many  natural  gifts  of  brain,  but  little  cul- 
ture.    A  self-made  man,  reliable,  loyal,  and  patriotic,  he 


THE   1906  REVOLUTION  801 

rapidly  won  general  confidence.  He  had  none  of  Witte's 
affectations  and  was  much  better  liked,  I  think. 

Stolypin  also  had  a  nature  and  a  physique  which  were 
impressive;  tall  and  well-bred-looking,  he  did  not,  how- 
ever, seem  cosmopolitan.  Somehow  I  thought  him  a 
little  queer  in  full  dress,  though  never  clumsy,  undigni- 
fied, or  shy.  He  was  of  noble  birth  and  great  cultiure, 
and  knew  his  nation  well.  He  was  extremely  interesting 
on  many  subjects,  especially  concerning  Russia,  and  if 
one  could  sit  and  converse  quietly  with  him  at  the  dinner- 
table  or  elsewhere  he  had  immense  charm  and  magnet- 
ism. I  do  not  know  of  any  one  in  the  Dimia  or  the  gov- 
ernment who  had  his  reputation  for  eloquence.  Some- 
how his  type  made  me  think  of  Lincoln,  or  what  my  con- 
ception of  Lincoln  was,  and  I  was  always  delighted  to  be 
at  a  party  with  him,  because  it  generally  meant  a  pleas- 
ant half-hoiu-  of  his  company  in  some  comer  where  he 
and  one  or  two  others  would  sit  apart  from  the  crowd. 
He  loved  music,  and  when  a  function  was  being  arranged 
in  his  honor,  usually  a  good  programme  of  music  was  a 
part  of  it. 

He  had  a  wife  and  children,  to  whom  he  was  devoted, 
but  they  were  not  comparable  to  him  in  personality. 
Every  day  one  heard  of  this  modest  man's  real  accom- 
plishment in  work.  He  linked  up  the  Dimia  with  the 
government,  drawing  out  the  best  each  held,  and  though 
parliament  at  times,  gave  him  disillusions,  he  attributed 
the  mistakes  of  that  body  to  its  inexperience,  and  was 
never  ruffled  by  opposition  or  lack  of  support. 

With  Krivaschene's  co-operation  Stolypin  thought  out 
and  introduced  the  land  reforms,  which  were  to  be  tried 
in  a  few  of  our  Little  Russian  provinces,  and,  if  found 
satisfactory,  were  to  be  carried  out  all  over  the  Russian 
Empire.     Each   peasant   individually   was  to  own   and 


302  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

keep  his  land,  do  with  it  as  he  pleased,  and  get  the  full 
benefit  of  the  work  and  care  he  put  into  it.  The  old 
system  of  land  being  held  in  common  by  the  villagers, 
with  the  portions  transferred  year  by  year  to  different 
hands  for  cultivation,  had  produced  discouragement, 
laziness,  run-down  crops — ^for  the  good-for-nothing  man 
did  as  little  as  possible,  while  the  sober,  hard  worker,  if 
he  fertilized  and  ploughed  his  share  deeply,  saw  the  square 
he  had  improved  given  away  in  a  season,  his  good  grain 
sold,  mixed  with  the  other's  bad,  and  no  result  to  him 
but  his  own  weariness.  The  sense  of  proprietorship, 
however,  brought  energy,  ambition,  and  pride.  In  turn 
these  put  the  people  forward  so  rapidly,  that  within  a 
few  years  we  saw  our  peasant  farmers  owning  three  hun- 
dred and  more  acres  bought  from  their  own  group  or 
from  us;  soon  good  machinery  and  animals  were  pur- 
chased, they  grew  grain  as  fine  as  ours  and  sold  at  the 
same  prices. 

Stolypin  never  had  the  Emperor*s  friendship.  I  think 
it  was  represented  to  His  Majesty  that  much  which  was 
being  done,  though  conducive  to  law  and  order  and  an  in- 
crease of  prosperity  in  the  realm,  was  not  exactly  in  line 
with  old  autocratic  ideals.  Therefore  the  sovereign  was 
told  he  should  not  too  much  encourage  this  man's  en- 
thusiasms. Apparently,  however,  Stolypin  took  such  dif- 
ficulties calmly.  He  faced  in  the  same  way  the  various 
attacks  of  which  he  was  a  victim  now  and  then  in  the 
parliament,  and  sometimes  even  from  his  collaborators. 
Danger  lurked  for  him  at  every  turn  from  the  assassin. 
Sipiaguin,  Plehve,  and  the  Grand  Duke  Serge  had  been 
killed,  and  unsuccessful  attempts  had  been  made  on 
several  others.  Stolypin's  house  was  blown  up  and  one 
of  his  daughters  severely  wounded,  and  a  second  effort 
was  made   without  the  man's  temper  or  nerves  being 


THE   1906  REVOLUTION  303 

ruffled  or  his  calm  service  to  Emperor  and  country 
changed. 

In  Kieff  finally  he  met  his  end,  through  a  revolver-shot 
fired  into  his  stomach  by  a  young  degenerate,  paid  for 
the  task.  Stolypin  remained  tranquil  and  serene  during 
several  long  days  of  agony,  when  no  hope  of  recovery 
cotild  be  held  out.  He  sent  for  his  family  and  quietly 
prepared  for  death.  The  conduct  of  the  sovereigns  at  that 
time  was  looked  on  with  surprise,  for  beyond  a  first  for- 
mal message  of  sympathy  and  another  final  written  word 
of  condolence  no  notice  was  taken  by  them  of  his  death. 
It  was  said  by  some  the  Empress  feared  to  have  her 
husband  either  see  Stolypin  after  the  shooting  or  to 
have  His  Majesty  attend  the  great  man's  funeral;  others 
said  it  was  by  request  of  the  secret  police  that  the  Em- 
peror avoided  all  this.  No  one  knew,  but  a  bad  im- 
pression of  weakness  or  lack  of  appreciation  was  rather 
general. 

Politically,  through  the  ebb  and  flow  of  opinion,  we  felt 
Russia  was  moving  forward,  and  that  in  a  few  short 
years  the  Emperor  would  give  a  constitution,  for  it  would 
be  demanded  of  him  by  healthy  elements  in  the  nation. 
They  sanely  waited,  worked  for  progress,  and  were  not 
mere  degenerates  or  hasty  visionaries.  Parties  were 
forming  of  some  substance  in  the  second  and  third 
"Duma,"  and  were  learning  to  handle  themselves.  Rus- 
sia was  growing  fast.  The  occasional  step  backward  or 
to  the  side  was  resented,  though  many  such  occurred, 
for  a  strong  retrograde  group  was  always  ready  to  stem 
the  tide.  Of  this  party  the  Empress  was  supposed  gen- 
erally to  be  the  protectress,  and  her  influence  with  the 
Emperor  was  used  always  in  that  direction.  Old  Gory- 
mekin  was  her  protege,  and  there  were  others  than  he  be- 
hind the  scenes,  who  used  Her  Majesty's  prestige  to  cover 


304  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

their  macltinations,  I  believe  largely  without  her  knowl- 
edge. She  chose  her  companions,  unfortunately,  from 
the  worst  people  within  reach,  and  deliberately  began — 
by  Madame  Wiroboff's  advice — to  get  rid  of  all  the 
decent,  self-respecting,  loyal  people  who  had  been  about 
her  at  first.  The  Emperor  by  degrees  lived  more  and 
more  strictly  in  his  family  circle,  with  only  two  or  three 
attendants  with  whom  the  Empress  liked  to  talk.  Even 
his  aides,  his  secretary,  and  Prince  Orloff,  who  for  years 
had  been  his  friend,  comrade,  and  confidant,  were  being 
attacked.  The  struggle  was  on,  and  was  growing  more 
and  more  marked  at  court  each  month. 

There  was  criticism,  rivalry,  and  much  personal  bit- 
terness, yet  evolution  or  even  revolution  (a  "palace  rev- 
olution") was  often  spoken  of  by  those  from  whom  I 
should  never  have  expected  it.  It  was  a  new  atmos- 
phere altogether  which  we  lived  in. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

CALM   BEFORE   THE  STORM 

OUR  own  life  had  been  changing  somewhat.  We 
had  made  two  deHghtfnl  trips  to  America,  visits 
long  to  be  remembered  for  their  happy  reimions 
and  crowding  pleasures.  We  went  in  1906,  and  made  a 
beautiful  trip  with  my  lovely  aunt  and  my  favorite  cousins 
through  the  American  Far  West.  We  visited  Chicago  and 
Washington,  and  stayed  on  quaint  Governor's  Island, 
where  my  father  was  in  command,  saw  all  the  old  friends 
in  New  York  or  elsewhere,  and  enjoyed  many  a  country 
house  party.  When  we  returned  to  Russia  we  took  the 
children  with  us.  **The  Revolution"  was  over  by  the 
beginning  of  1907. 

Just  then  Cantacuzene  was  named  to  the  staff  of  the 
Grand  Duke  Nicolas,  and  a  companionship  of  service 
began  which  during  seven  or  eight  years  was  a  constant 
happiness  to  my  husband.  Bom  of  perfect  understanding 
on  both  sides;  a  paternal  loyal  affection  on  the  part  of 
the  splendid  chief  which  never  wavered,  and  an  absolute 
devotion  and  enthusiastic  admiration  on  my  husband's 
part,  relations  were  always  reliable  and  appreciative. 
All  these  qualities  on  both  sides  during  times  of  stress 
were  required,  for  the  Grand  Duke  was  sincere,  and  though 
ready  to  lay  down  his  life  for  his  kinsman,  the  sovereign, 
he  was  very  anxious,  naturally,  that  the  influences 
around  the  Empress  should  not  do  her  husband  harm, 
either  in  fact  or  in  public  judgment. 

The  Grand  Duke,  suspicious  of  the  Germans,  feared 
the  Kaiser's  caresses  for  our  ruler  and  coimtry.  He  was 
anxious  to  get  fortresses  and  cannon  established  on  our 

305 


306  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

western  frontier,  and  he  pressed  preparation,  but  with 
Httle  or  no  effect.  He  threw  his  influence  into  breaking 
up  the  compact  which  Wilhelm  had  engineered  during 
the  latter's  visit  to  otir  Emperor's  yacht  in  Finnish 
waters.  I  do  not  think  our  chief  ever  trusted  or  liked 
Count  Witte.  He  never  said  this  that  I  know  of,  but 
it  was  considered  a  fact,  and  Mr.  E.  J.  Dillon's  descrip- 
tion of  these  years  when  he  was  Count  Witte 's  confiden- 
tial aid  would  seem  to  prove  this  theory  of  mine. 

However,  at  the  time  of  the  "Willy-Nicky  corre- 
spondence" the  Grand  Duke  loyally  worked  with  Witte, 
and  helped  the  latter  straighten  out  the  political  tangle, 
and  our  sovereign  to  regain  his  foothold.  I  believe  my 
husband's  chief  never  took  part  in  politics  after  that. 
He  studiously  avoided  them,  and  demanded  the  same  at- 
titude from  his  court;  but  every  one  knew  he  stood  for 
law,  order,  and  liberality,  and  that  he  was  pro-Russian 
first  and,  after  that,  pro- Ally — never  pro-German.  Also 
it  was  known  the  Grand  Duchess  Anastasia,  his  wife, 
was  a  Slav  princess  by  birth — a  Montenegrin — educated 
in  St.  Petersburg  and  thoroughly  anti-German.  She  had 
been  one  of  the  Empress's  intimates,  only  to  be  suddenly 
and  rather  roughly  dropped — ^no  one  quite  found  out 
why,  though  every  one  spent  much  time  guessing. 

It  required  some  tact  and  discretion  to  live  in  our 
court  atmosphere  with  its  various  currents,  but  this  was 
less  difficult  with  Russians  than  it  would  have  been  else- 
where, as  society  was  simpler  among  them  than  among 
most  other  peoples,  and  imless  one  were  particularly 
climisy  in  criticising,  one  was  allowed  to  live  in  peace 
and  think  what  one  pleased. 

Through  those  years  I  began  to  feel  a  great  interest  in 
politics  and  see  a  good  deal  of  the  diplomats  and  cabinet 
members.     Mr.  Izvolsky,  the  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs, 


CALM  BEFORE  THE  STOKM  307 

and  his  wife  were  very  sympathetic,  and  their  salon, 
where  I  went  often,  always  seemed  full  of  interesting 
people. 

Orloff's  palace  was  growing  more  and  more  a  political 
centre,  too,  and  every  one  went  there  to  get  some  mes- 
sage to  or  from  the  Emperor,  knowing  Orloff 's  unassail- 
able honesty,  as  well  as  his  heart  of  gold  and  excellent 
judgment.  Both  he  and  his  attractive  wife  were  inti- 
mate friends  of  ours,  and  I  have  them  to  thank  for  much 
of  my  pleasure  in  my  Russian  life. 

There  were  a  ntmiber  of  other  houses  with  hospitable 
rooms,  where  conversation  was  a  delight.  Every  one 
was  gay  at  gatherings,  whatever  his  anxieties  outside 
might  be.  So  living  in  our  group  was  very  agreeable 
dtmng  those  years.  There  were  a  ntmiber  of  diplomats 
who  took  part  in  our  pastimes.  Hardinge,  the  British 
Ambassador,  with  his  winning  wife,  had  a  host  of  friends. 
He  was  followed  by  Sir  Arthur  Nicolson,  most  popular 
and  astute  of  suave  diplomatists.  A  really  great  Ameri- 
can, Mr.  Rockhill,  before  whom  the  world  stood  at  atten- 
tion, was  admittedly  the  most  important  foreigner  in  St. 
Petersburg  diuing  his  stay  there.  Another  American 
who  made  an  admirable  position  for  himself  was  Mr. 
Meyer.     Both  men  had  extremely  attractive  wives. 

The  capable  and  brilliant  O'Beime,  one  of  Russia's 
best  and  ablest  friends,  was  part  of  our  inside  circle,  win- 
ning every  one's  affection  incidentally  to  doing  his  work 
well.  When  years  later  he  was  again  coming  out  on  a 
war-time  mission  with  Lord  Kitchener  and  was  drowned, 
all  St.  Petersburg  society  sincerely  motimed  the  man, 
who  had  served  his  own  country,  yet  had  been  a  loyal 
and  firm  friend  of  Russia,  too.  There  were  a  number  of 
others  we  saw  often,  but  in  more  formal  manner,  for  our 
path  lay  among  the  ultra-Russian  groups,  and  my  hus- 


308  MY  LIFE.  HERE  AND  THERE 

band's  service  was  altogether  military.  My  tastes  also 
inclined  me  most  toward  the  people  of  my  adopted  coun- 
try, whom  I  loved  more  and  more  the  longer  I  lived 
among  them.  We  spent  nearly  all  our  time  within  our 
home  coimtry,  largely  because  of  my  husband's  duties 
and  interests,  and  because  of  our  growing  family.  In 
November,  1908,  our  third  child  was  bom,  a  golden- 
haired  baby,  the  first  Cantacuzene  to  have  blue  eyes. 

That  same  year  a  new  note  was  introduced  into  our 
lives  by  our  buying  a  pretty  cottage  at  the  great  mili- 
tary camp  of  Krasnoe  Selo,  within  an  hour's  driving  dis- 
tance of  the  capital.  We  rebtdlt  this  home,  and  made  it 
very  attractive  with  furniture  and  ornaments  of  genera- 
tions ago,  keeping  it  all  in  one  period.  Arranging  the 
buildings  and  the  little  garden  which  surrounded  them 
was  our  greatest  joy  during  the  next  six  years.  It  grew 
to  be  the  most  delicious  comer  in  all  the  country  around, 
we  thought,  and  it  drew  our  friends  from  the  environs. 
The  grounds  especially  were  very  pretty.  Planned  with 
infinite  care,  we  had  given  them  a  simple  character,  with 
flowers  from  the  woods  and  fields,  established  and  made 
welcome.  I  took  particular  pride  in  my  roses  and  sweet 
peas,  and  our  production  of  these  was  wonderful  for  so 
small  a  place.  An  old-fashioned  summer-house  formed 
by  the  branches  of  living,  graceful  beech-trees,  inter- 
laced, held  my  tea-table,  and  each  day  a  pleasant  group 
gathered  there  for  a  restful  hour  after  drilling.  The 
peace  of  the  sweeping,  soft-green  background,  the  witch- 
ery of  perfume  and  the  splendor  of  our  view  out  over 
the  plains  toward  the  proud  capital  of  Russia,  with  its 
gilded  domes  and  spires,  closing  in  with  our  horizon  of 
the  forests  and  the  blue  Gulf  of  Finland  was  ideal.  Our 
visitors  asked  how  this  gem  of  calm  prosperity  could  be 
kept  up  in  a  military  camp.     They  came  often  to  see  us 


CALM  BEFORE  THE  STORM  300 

from  Peterhof ,  where  the  court  sojourned  in  summer,  or 
from  Tsarskoe  and  St.  Petersburg  itself.  We  grew  to 
love  this  home  best  of  any  we  owned,  and  our  life  was 
always  happy  there. 

In  the  mornings  the  children  and  I  rode,  and  my 
yoimg  companions  were  as  expert  at  this  sport  as  they 
were  at  various  others.  I  felt  very  proud  to  show  them 
off,  and  to  have  them  with  us  riding  through  woods  and 
over  fields.  My  afternoon  was  spent  pottering  about 
the  garden,  while  in  the  evenings,  if  we  did  not  go  out, 
we  generally  received  in  most  informal  fashion  such  of 
our  friends  or  comrades  as  dropped  in  on  us.  My  hus- 
band's duties  with  the  Grand  Dtike  kept  him  extremely 
occupied,  and  to  us  the  five  or  six  years  previous  to  the 
World  War  represented  the  best  part  of  our  lives. 

In  1 910  we  made  another  trip  to  the  United  States, 
which  was  delightful,  when  we  spent  four  months  with 
the  family  and  old  friends,  filling  our  time  with  delight- 
ful excursions  again.  We  journeyed  down  to  Florida  and 
fell  in  love  with  that  part  of  America  because  of  its 
sunny,  turquoise  sky  and  sea,  and  smiling  landscapes. 
For  Christmas  in  Chicago,  twenty-odd  of  his  descen- 
dants gathered  round  the  ninety-year-old  patriarch,  my 
Grandfather  Honore. 

It  was  pleasant  to  find  my  father  in  the  full  flush  of 
his  career,  settled  at  Governor's  Island  and,  having  made 
a  fine  fighting  record,  still  active  and  doing  good  in  his 
patriotic  way.  Since  the  Spanish-American  War  he  had 
not  left  the  army,  and  was  thoroughly  satisfied  in  19 10 
at  the  head  of  his  profession,  holding  the  confidence  and 
love  of  all  who  worked  with  him  or  watched  his  activi- 
ties. The  final  fruition  was  worthy  of  the  fine  promise 
of  earlier  days,  and  at  sixty  he  was  hale,  hearty,  able,  and 
still  keen. 


310  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

My  mother  also  felt  her  life  to  be  most  enjoyable,  and 
had  hosts  of  friends  who  surrounded  her.  She  appar- 
ently took  as  much  pleasure  as  ever  in  life. 

After  this  visit  home  I  never  again  saw  my  father 
alive.  Within  a  year  he  showed  the  first  signs  of  the  ill- 
ness that  was  to  claim  him  as  its  victim,  and  through  the 
winter  of  1911-12  he  went  on  with  his  duties,  knowing 
he  was  doomed.  No  realization  of  his  danger  came  to 
my  mother  apparently  until  it  was  too  late  to  let  me 
hear,  so  it  chanced  that  returning  home  from  an  official 
party  in  St.  Petersburg  one  night  I  found  a  cable  asking 
me  to  go  across  the  sea  because  my  father  asked  for  me, 
and  during  the  preparations  for  that  distressing  journey 
another  wire  followed,  saying  that  my  father  had  died 
suddenly.  One  has  to  know  the  misery  of  such  a  de- 
parture and  trip  to  realize  what  it  means  to  be  too  late, 
and  to  miss  the  last  words  or  last  smile  of  one  who  was 
deeply  loved.  Never  can  I  forget  niy  journey:  the  hide- 
ous travelling  through  Russian  snow  and  over  the  bleak 
plains  of  East  Prussia.  Only  semiconscious  of  what  I 
did,  I  felt  the  kind  acts  of  my  family  and  friends  who 
helped  me  to  get  off  and  the  kind  hands  that  did  what 
they  could  to  ease  pain  or  smooth  difficulties  away  be- 
fore me. 

I  realized  little  by  little  through  my  nimibness  their 
presence,  their  silent,  gentle  sympathy  and  efforts,  and 
how  much  I  had  grown  to  belong  to  my  adopted  country- 
men, and  they  to  me.  All  through  the  voyage  my  devoted 
old  maid  was  producing  new  books  or  papers,  or  a 
new  dainty  with  which  to  tempt  my  appetite,  and  it  was 
always  by  the  wish  and  the  generous  attention  of  some 
friend  left  in  St.  Petersburg  that  she  was  acting.  They 
had  supplied  and  instructed  her  in  advance. 

The  landing  in  New  York  and  the  heart-break  of  the 


CALM  BEFORE  THE  STORM  311 

funeral,  the  touching  demonstrations  of  admiration  and 
love  for  my  father  by  his  comrades  and  his  soldiers,  by 
the  old  policemen  who  had  served  under  him,  and  by  the 
city  of  New  York,  won  our  gratitude  and  moved  us 
deeply.  His  body  was  taken  through  the  city's  thor- 
oughfares, lined  with  vast  crowds;  the  latter  stood  with 
heads  bared,  and  bowed,  wiping  their  eyes  as  the  gun- 
carriage  passed,  draped  with  the  flag  he  had  served  since 
his  thirteenth  year  in  one  capacity  or  another.  We  went 
up  the  Hudson,  taking  this  devoted  son  past  the  place 
where  his  father  lay,  to  another  above  it  and  equally 
beautiful,  on  the  great  river. 

At  West  Point  our  pilgrimage  ended.  There,  amid 
his  comrades  of  old  school  and  army  life  we  deposited 
this  son  of  the  academy,  who  had  been  so  devoted  to  his 
school  and  had  Hved  by  its  high  traditions.  After  taps 
sounded  we  left  my  father  to  his  long  rest  from  the  great 
suffering  he  had  borne  without  complaint,  the  worthy 
follower  of  his  sire  in  that  as  in  all  else. 

It  was  hard  to  accept  the  situation.  That  the  post  at 
the  head  of  our  family  was  empty  and  the  strong  man 
gone,  seemed  imbelievable.  My  mother  was  broken  up, 
her  life  changed  in  every  way,  and  a  little  relaxation 
from  the  shock  and  strain  of  the  preceding  weeks  seemed 
desirable.  She  was  prevailed  upon  to  accompany  me 
abroad,  and  within  a  few  days  after  the  ftmeral  we  sailed 
for  Russia,  where  I  had  many  duties  claiming  my  early 
return. 

For  two  years  I  led  a  life  of  complete  retirement.  The 
children,  growing  older,  needed  my  attention,  and  I 
stayed  much  at  home,  with  enough  to  fill  my  days  in  the 
round  of  home  duties  and  such  quiet  pleasures  as  music 
at  concert  or  opera  gave  me.  The  ever-increasing  circle 
around  my  tea-table,  where  friends  gathered  to  talk  in- 


Sn  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

formally  on  all  sorts  of  subjects,  still  retained  its  interest 
in  my  eyes,  and  the  conversation  never  lagged,  nor  was 
it  dull,  for  in  that  varied  group  many  of  our  strongest 
men  and  most  attractive  women  figured. 

Time  passed  and  I  felt  that  not  only  was  I  studying 
Russia  and  its  people,  but  that  through  these  clever 
minds,  even  at  play,  as  they  were,  I  was  learning  much 
of  the  world  at  large  with  its  political  questions.  Always 
it  seemed  to  me  the  Russian  mentality  and  attitude  were 
generous,  large,  and  strong.  I  grew  also  to  love  our  peas- 
ants and  the  patriots  who  strove  to  lead  them  forward  and 
to  place  our  nation  higher  for  its  ideals  and  ambitions  than 
any  other  one  in  Etu*ope,  were  splendid.  It  seemed  to 
me  we  had  a  great  future,  and  that  at  last  the  liberals 
more  and  more  were  moving  toward  an  evolution  of  the 
right  sort;  that  it  would  be  but  a  short  span  of  years 
until  parliament  would  have  strong  legislative  rights, 
and  a  responsible  ministry  would  answer  for  mistakes  or 
be  acclaimed  for  its  creative  efforts. 

Many  men  talked  of  a  constitution.  It  was  well  known 
that  when  certain  of  the  ministers  who  most  insistently 
advocated  reform  went  to  the  Emperor  with  reports 
and  suggestions  His  Majesty  listened  with  sighs  of  deep 
sympathy;  and  also  that  in  spite  of  Madame  Wiroboff's 
efforts  certain  honest  courtiers  held  their  influence.  The 
Empress  was  constantly  ill,  and  she  kept  around  her  a 
strange  crowd,  who  spent  their  time  flattering  her  and 
feeding  her  with  gossip  and  charlatanism.  She  was  drift- 
ing away,  Hving  solely  for  her  children  and  for  her  occult 
group  of  friends. 

There  was  no  doubt  in  any  one's  mind  as  to  Madame 
Wiroboff's  relations  with  Rasputin,  or  of  the  fact  that 
she  had  invented  him  and  declared  him  to  be  a  miracle- 
worker,  thus  installing  him  as  a  sort  of  back-stairs  prophet. 


CALM  BEFORE  THE  STORM  313 

His  prayers  were  said  to  do  the  Empress  good,  and  also 
the  young  heir  to  the  throne,  who  was  an  invalid.  Ma- 
dame Wiroboff  had  persuaded  Her  Majesty  that  she  her- 
self could  not  survive  being  separated  a  day  from  the 
mistress  she  adored.  Also  she  was  convincing  about 
Rasputin.  He  was  devoted,  and  a  simple  peasant;  it 
would  please  the  people  of  Russia  to  know  a  representa- 
tive of  theirs  stood  high  at  court ;  without  knowledge,  but 
by  the  pure,  real  faith  which  moved  him,  Rasputin  had 
power  from  on  high  to  prophesy  and  heal,  and  his  inter- 
vention averted  the  nervous  pains  from  which  the  Em- 
press had  suffered  since  so  long.  The  latter  was  brought 
firmly  to  believe  all  this,  and  the  fact,  continuously  re- 
told, that  her  son  was  stronger  and  would  eventually 
recover  perfect  health  by  their  private  saint's  constant 
intercession  and  watchful  care,  made  the  distraught  Em- 
press a  victim,  yielding  more  and  more  to  the  foul 
influence  of  the  plotters. 

As  she  gained  power  and  dared  to  show  it,  Madame 
Wiroboff  made  a  few  allies  in  coiul  circles,  all  among  the 
worst  elements,  who  either  feared  her  or  hoped  to  share 
the  spoils  she  gained.  Many  of  us  realized  the  wretch 
was  doing  harm,  but  how  much  no  one  could  calculate. 
We  saw  her  creeping  into  the  intimacy  of  the  sovereigns, 
but  she  played  the  fool  extremely  well  and  was  never 
suspected  of  political  ambitions.  We  discovered  early  in 
the  game  that  she  wanted  to  seem  a  figure  in  the  court. 
Many  people  shrugged  their  shoulders  and  decided  to 
accept  pimishment  for  ignoring  the  favorite's  pretensions 
if  necessary.  Many  would  not  call  on  her.  She  and  I 
spoke  when  we  met,  but  the  acquaintance  went  no  fur- 
ther, for  to  me,  as  to  many  others,  Madame  Wiroboff 
was  a  reptdsive  creature. 

As  for  Rasputin,  I  never  met  or  saw  him.    Coarse, 


S14  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

vicious,  hideous,  he  was  known  to  be,  yet  he  exerted  an 
unholy  fascination  on  a  number  of  women,  who  crowded 
about  him  and  composed  his  cHentele.  He  drank  and 
in  general  lived  brutally,  though  without  other  plans 
than  to  be  materially  enriched,  or  to  have  warmth  and 
finery  and  food. 

Those  who  had  known  the  Empress  enough  to  realize 
her  culture,  were  much  distressed  to  see  her  so  badly 
advised,  but  there  seemed  nothing  to  prevent  her  being 
exploited.  Several  devoted  subjects  tried  to  warn  her. 
It  was  no  use,  for  she  had  chosen  her  path,  and  remained 
immoved  by  any  pleadings.  She  put  aside  all  loyal 
friends  of  her  best  interests,  who  showed  their  courage 
at  the  price  of  her  favor,  and  she  held  more  firmly  to  her 
occult  group,  while  her  influence  over  her  husband  grew 
and  grew,  till  by  degrees  he  lost  familiar  contact  with 
those  who  might  have  given  him  real  enlightenment  and 
truth.  Still  she  held  to  Prince  Orloff,  and  believed 
rightly  in  his  honor  and  devotion.  The  latter^s  tact  and 
power  were  constantly  used  to  stem  the  intrigues  at 
our  coiut. 

Early  in  19 13  was  celebrated  the  three  hundredth 
anniversary  of  the  Romanoffs'  accession  to  the  throne, 
and  in  the  pageants  connected  with  all  this  the  court 
lived  over  again  the  acclamations  and  enthusiasm  of  the 
dynasty's  early  days,  when  for  his  virtue,  intelligence, 
and  grace  yoimg  Michael  Romanoff  had  been  chosen  by 
his  people  for  their  sovereign,  and  was  fetched  out  from 
the  retirement  of  the  convent  in  which  he  was  being 
brought  up  by  his  good  mother.  The  great  deeds  of  our 
imperial  family  through  three  centiuies  of  history  were 
recalled  in  tableaux,  song,  and  ceremony.  An  official 
reception  occurred  at  the  Winter  Palace,  when  each  guest 
in  national  costume  was  given  a  golden  insignia  to  mark 


CALM  BEFOKE  THE  STORM  315 

his  or  her  attendance  that  day  at  court.  Deputations 
came  from  every  province,  and  from  vassal  states,  with 
gifts  for  the  sovereigns,  and  these  received  with  all  due 
pomp,  surrounded  by  the  imperial  family  and  their 
attendants. 

Never  had  the  palace  looked  more  magnificent,  nor 
had  the  power  of  the  ruler  seemed  more  assured.  The 
city  of  St.  Petersbiu*g  was  officially  dressed  in  gayest 
bunting,  while  at  night  the  imperial  crowns  or  mono- 
grams, with  emblems  of  state  designed  in  colored  lamps, 
made  vast  decorations  which  lighted  up  the  streets. 
Two  special  gala  fetes  were  given.  One,  offered  by  the 
nobles  of  the  capital  to  their  Emperor,  was  a  ball  in  the 
*' Council  Hall  of  the  NobiHty."  The  magnificent  white 
marble  ballroom  dated  back  a  century  at  least,  and  was 
wonderful  that  night.  All  of  us  had  put  on  our  best 
clothes  and  jewels,  to  do  honor  to  the  imperial  guests  of 
the  evening. 

The  entrance  of  the  sovereigns  was  very  impressive. 
They  were  met  by  the  "Grand  Marshal  of  the  Nobility  of 
the  Province  of 'St.  Petersbiu-g"  at  the  outside  entrance. 
He  offered  his  arm  to  the  Empress-Mother,  who  on  this 
occasion  had  graciously  accepted  the  invitation.  Prince 
Soltykoff,  who  had  the  dignity  and  manner  as  well  as 
the  blood  of  the  boyars — aristocrats — of  ancient  Mus- 
covy, handed  Her  Majesty,  always  graceful,  through  the 
"polonaise"  which  ceremoniously  opened  the  ball.  They 
were  the  most  stared  at  and  admired  couple  in  the  rodm, 
and  the  old  Empress's  popular  figure,  still  slim  and  ele- 
gant, was  at  its  best  in  walking.  She  smiled  at  her  sub- 
jects, and  they  became  her  captives  anew  and  swore 
renewed  allegiance  imder  their  breath  to  this  ever-attrac- 
tive woman. 

The   Emperor  in  full  uniform  looked  uncomfortable 


516  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

and  intimidated.  He  walked  as  rapidly  as  possible,  in 
military  fashion,  as  if  anxious  to  get  the  ceremony  over 
and  hating  to  be  stared  at.  It  was  somewhat  of  an 
effort  for  the  beautiful  yoimg  Countess  Koutousoff  in 
her  long  robes  to  keep  up  with  His  Majesty's  quick 
stride,  which  was  not  in  time  with  the  music.  She  spoke 
to  him,  and  her  partner  replied  timidly  to  the  wife  of  the 
** Marshal  of  the  Capital  City's  Nobility";  then  he  smiled, 
made  a  determined  effort  to  slow  down,  and  did  his  duty. 
When  he  saw  the  bows  and  curtseys  on  each  side  as  he 
passed  down  the  lines  of  nobles  with  this  radiant  partner 
at  his  side,  he  distributed  various  shy,  small  nods.  It 
was  evident  the  whole  thing  was  an  effort  to  his  natiu-e, 
for  in  the  earnest,  deep-gray  eyes  there  was  an  eloquent 
appeal;  and  as  the  marching  neared  its  end  he  seemed 
relieved;  then,  as  the  trial  ended,  he  bowed  and  relin- 
quished the  hand  of  his  fair  lady  partner  with  a  grateful 
sigh. 

As  for  the  younger  Empress,  she  had  had  one  of  her 
habitual  attacks  some  days  before  and  was  still  suffering, 
it  was  said;  but  she  did  her  part  in  the  procession.  The 
"Vice-Marshal  of  the  Nobility  of  the  Province"  gave  her 
his  arm.  She  towered  above  the  little  man  in  her  splen- 
dor. Diamonds  and  pearls  glittered  on  her  head  and 
neck  and  dress,  making  her,  as  always,  a  gorgeous  statue. 
Her  eyes  were  stem  and  sad,  her  mouth  made  a  straight, 
hard  line,  drawn  in  physical  distress  and  mental  rebel- 
lion at  the  necessity  of  carrying  through  a  ceremony  she 
disliked,  amid  a  court  and  nobility  she  did  not  care  for. 
Not  once  did  she  smile  nor  look  to  right  or  left,  though  at 
intervals,  quite  regularly,  she  inclined  her  head  to  the 
throng  which  pressed  forward.  Every  one  said,  coldly 
enough,  that  Her  Majesty  was  looking  very  handsome. 
When  she  finished  her  turn  she  settled  on  a  chair  at  once 


CALM  BEFORE  THE  S1X)RM  317 

and  remained  silent  and  forbidding,  with  a  tragic  face,  all 
through  the  entertainment. 

It  was  a  scene  well  worth  even  her  admiration  that 
we  gazed  out  on.  The  room,  three  stories  high  and  spa- 
cious in  proportion,  the  myriad  crowd  that  filled  it  with 
their  color  as  they  moved  in  rhythm  to  the  lovely  waltz 
music,  was  perfect.  The  vast  colimms  of  cream  marble, 
wound  with  garlands,  the  rich  red  velvet  of  draperies, 
the  golden  woodwork,  the  bronze  and  crystal  of  chande- 
liers or  high  candelabra,  made  a  picture  difficult  to  rival, 
and  one  felt  the  proud  nobles  of  the  empire  had  done 
their  best  and  might  well  be  proud  of  their  success. 

A  few  nights  later  there  was  a  gala  performance  at  the 
opera-house.  This  time  the  sovereigns  were  hosts  to 
their  court  and  to  the  government  officials.  And  again 
all  those  present  wore  their  best,  a  different  best  from  the 
ball  splendor  of  the  earlier  function.  In  the  orchestra 
seats  sat  venerable  senators  and  members  of  the  Coim- 
cil  of  the  Empire  in  court  uniforms  of  green  and  red  and 
black,  much  trimmed  with  gold  embroidery.  Here  and 
there  some  gorgeous  ex-commander  of  an  imperial  guard 
regiment  stood  in  military  imiform  of  equal  brilliancy, 
carried  with  elegance  and  ease.  In  the  loges,  tier  on  tier, 
sat  cabinet  officials  and  their  wives,  glistening  with  deco- 
rations, all  the  ladies  of  the  court  in  their  fine  jewels, 
and  men  whose  rank  or  service  brought  them  there  by 
right.  The  imperial  family  filled  the  large  boxes.  In 
the  centre  box  of  the  house  sat  Their  Majesties.  When 
they  entered  they  were  acclaimed  with  long  cheers, 
echoing  to  the  roof,  and  with  the  national  anthem,  and 
again,  as  on  the  previous  occasion,  each  responded  as 
prompted  by  his  or  her  nature. 

Aroimd  the  sovereigns  sat  the  members  of  the  imperial 
family,  according  to  his  or  her  rank.     To  every  Grand 


318  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

Duchess  in  the  imperial  circle  was  attached  a  page  that 
night,  brought  out  by  ancient  etiquette  from  the  page 
corps  to  do  his  service.  Chosen  for  their  fine  physique 
and  handsome  features,  these  youngsters,  in  high  boots 
and  tight  trousers,  their  uniform  coats  bedecked  with 
gay  gold  lace,  stood  at  attention,  and  held  the  fur  scarf 
or  delicate  lace  fan  of  the  various  Romanoff  ladies.  To 
the  background  they  added  rich  notes  of  color.  The 
house  had  never  had  a  grander  evening.  The  composi- 
tion of  the  audience  and  the  performance  on  the  stage 
rivalled  one  another  in  their  perfection.  Parts  were  given 
of  several  patriotic  operas.  "A  Life  for  the  Czar"  was 
played  and  sung,  and,  if  I  remember  rightly,  Chaliapin 
gave  the  first  act  of  **  Boris  Goudanoff."  The  national 
anthem  and  the  wild  applause  and  cheers  were  oft  repeated 
before  the  sovereigns  retired  and  the  party  broke  up. 
This  performance  was  followed  by  a  supper  and  ball  at 
the  palace  of  the  Grand  Duchess  Xenia,  the  Emperor's 
sister. 

After  assisting  at  the  week's  rejoicings,  the  Emperor, 
his  wife,  and  children  retired  again  to  Tsarskoe,  and  we 
were  left  with  the  impression  of  a  fairy  dream,  which 
had  lasted  a  few  days  and  had  renewed  our  historical 
loyalty  for  the  throne  and  its  occupants.  It  was  whis- 
pered about,  however,  that  the  Emperor  and  Empress 
had  not  shown  themselves  sufficiently  to  the  simple  peo- 
ple of  their  capital  and  had  made  no  effort  to  capture  the 
love  and  admiration  of  their  humbler  subjects;  and  as  a 
reason  for  this  neglect,  it  was  added  that  since  the  dem- 
onstrations of  1905  and  1906  the  sovereigns  hated  the 
populace  and  had  no  desire  to  win  the  love  of  St.  Peters- 
burg's citizens,  but  wished,  on  the  contrary,  to  keep  as 
far  as  possible  from  dangerous  crowds.  It  seemed  an 
imfortunate  attitude  to  many  of  us,  and  regret  was  ex- 
pressed on  all  sides  they  had  been  so  badly  advised. 


CALM  BEFORE  THE  STORM  319 

The  next  winter,  I9i3'-i4,  I  had  laid  aside  my  moiim- 
ing  finally,  but  expected  to  take  little  part  in  what  prom- 
ised to  be  a  gay  season.  Fate  decreed  otherwise,  how- 
ever, and  that  last  winter  before  the  war  I  passed  in 
dancing.  It  was  a  last  fling  before  the  breaking  down 
of  all  that  had  made  the  frame  of  our  brilliant  youth  and 
life,  and  it  seems  as  if  we  all  instinctively  felt  we  must 
eat,  drink,  and  be  merry,  in  fear  of  the  destruction  due 
with  the  morrow*s  dawn. 

I  had  meant  to  continue  in  the  quiet  habits  of  life 
which  I  iiad  formed  during  my  two  years  of  mourning, 
but  St.  I'etersburg^s  celebrations  for  oiu*  set  continued 
for  some  time  around  Prince  Alexander  of  Battenberg, 
who  came  out  to  stay  with  the  Grand  Duke  and  Grand 
Duchess  Kyril.  Perforce  entertainments  given  to  amuse 
this  guest,  whom  we  had  all  known  and  liked  diuing  a 
previous  visit,  drew  us  back  to  the  ways  of  youth  again. 
Fete  followed  f^te,  and  the  season  culminated  in  a  car- 
nival week  such  as  St.  Petersburg  had  not  seen  since 
before  the  Japanese  War.  We  enjoyed  it  and  forgot  to 
be  old. 

Among  other  things,  a  beautiful  Persian  dance  was 
organized,  was  practised  and  danced  under  the  orders  of 
a  ballet-master,  as  the  central  performance  at  a  costimie 
ball.  A  few  nights  later  this  was  repeated,  after  dinner, 
at  the  home  of  the  Grand  Duchess  Marie.  It  was  to 
amuse  the  Empress-Mother,  who  wanted  to  see  her  nieces 
and  nephews,  with  their  friends,  masquerade.  The  clothes 
and  jewels  in  the  Oriental  forms  and  colors  were  very 
striking  and  becoming,  and  the  men  and  women  who 
took  part  wore  all  their  finery.  Our  spirits  were  high, 
both  at  the  rehearsals  and  on  the  evening  of  the  gay 
show,  and  the  dance's  general  effect  was  really  beautiful, 
near  enough  the  gorgeous  East  to  be  quite  satisfactory. 


3iJ0  ^  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

Possibly  Persians  would  not  have  realized  we  aimed  to 
look  like  them,  however! 

That  year,  as  usual,  the  sovereigns  and  their  court 
spent  the  spring  in  pleasant  comfort  at  Livadia,  on  the 
coast  of  the  Black  Sea.  Both  the  Emperor  and  the  Em- 
press were  fond  of  this  their  personal  home,  and,  with 
the  excuse  of  Her  Majesty's  health  and  that  of  the 
Czarevitch,  they  lengthened  their  sojourn  in  the  south 
each  year.  Many  government  functionaries  rushed  back 
and  forth  from  the  capital  to  Yalta,  complaining  of  the 
long  journey,  but  very  glad,  really,  of  the  possibility  of 
visiting,  as  part  of  their  service,  the  pretty  city  lying  at 
the  foot  of  the  hill  with  its  white  palace  and  magic 
gardens. 

That  year  the  Crimea  had  attracted  many  members 
of  the  imperial  family,  who — each  with  his  suite — ^were 
housed  in  their  villas  along  the  shore.  The  Emperor 
worked  part  of  each  day  with  his  government  officials, 
walked  with  the  gentlemen  of  his  suite  over  many  miles 
of  pathway  planned  for  his  enjoyment  across  the  hills, 
and  lived  otherwise  a  quiet  life. 

The  Empress,  save  for  her  hours  in  her  family  circle, 
gave  herself  up  to  the  companionship  of  Madame  Wiro- 
boff  and  the  latter's  friends,  who  were  her  intimates./ 
Daily  Her  Majesty  drove  through  the  imperial  park  in 
her  victoria,  with  Madame  Wiroboff  beside  her,  and 
Rasputin  a  third  in  the  party.  At  last  some  one  at  court 
told  the  Emperor  of  these  expeditions,  and  persuaded 
him  to  influence  his  wife,  as  gossip  was  busy  with  her 
name.  After  various  discussions  the  Empress  consented 
to  modify  her  programme,  after  which  she  started  out 
on  her  drive  with  only  Madame  Wiroboff  in  attendance. 
But  Rasputin  was  waiting  at  some  point  in  the  route 
chosen,    was   picked   up,    and   had   his   drive   till   they 


CALM  BEFORE  THE  STORM  3«1 

dropped  him  again  only  at  the  last  moment,  before  the 
palace  door  was  reached.  Guards'  and  courtiers'  tongues 
wagged  as  much  as  ever. 

Both  Madame  Wiroboff  and  her  occult  partner  were 
growing  arrogant  in  19 14  toward  the  members  of  the 
court,  whenever  their  imperial  protectress  was  not 
watching;  but  in  her  presence  they  always  played  mod- 
est r61es  and  represented  themselves  to  be  a  pair  of  hum- 
ble saints  who  spent  their  time  in  prayer.  Officials  were 
approached  by  them  for  favors,  however,  and  in  their 
petitions  covert  threats  were  felt. 

This  scandal  was  an  underlying  note  of  warning  in 
those  weeks  of  the  imperial  family's  last  residence  in 
their  Crimean  palace.  On  the  surface  everything  went 
smoothly,  and  many  a  gay  beauty  held  her  small  court 
in  the  colored  villas  or  in  the  salons  and  loggias  of  the 
old  Hotel  de  Russie.  No  one  had  an  anxious  thought 
for  the  future,  though  the  clouds  were  gathering  rapidly 
overhead ! 

At  the  end  of  the  spring  the  sovereigns  and  their  fol- 
lowers returned  north,  and  they  scarcely  had  time  to 
settle  for  the  stmimer  at  Peterhof ,  make  preparations  and 
receive  the  President  of  the  French  Republic,  who  was 
scheduled  for  an  official  visit  of  about  a  week's  duration, 
when  the  miu-der  at  Sarajevo  suddenly  startled  all 
Europe.  The  menace  of  its  touching  us  was  not  stiffi- 
ciently  felt,  however,  to  cause  any  change  of  programme, 
so  the  feasting  and  receptions,  the  reviews  and  gala  thea- 
tres to  honor  our  ally  and  our  guest  were  continued,  in 
full  security  that  all  was  well.  At  last  the  visit  ended 
and  Poincare  sailed  away.  Then  we  realized  quite  sud- 
denly that  we  had  war  to  face  and  at  short  notice. 

Someone  recalled  to  everyone  else's  notice  how  dur- 
ing the  week's  festivities  the  face  of  Admiral  Heinzc  had 


322  MY  LIFE,  HERE  AND  THERE 

been  hideous  and  his  behavior  strained.  The  truth  was 
realized  too  late  about  this  representative  of  the  Kaiser 
attached  to  our  Emperor's  person.  War  came,  and  in 
the  history  of  Russia  a  chapter  full  of  the  picturesque 
was  closed  and  a  new  one  begun,  in  glory  and  in  pain, 
which  was  to  lead  to  crucifixion  and  martyrdom  for  our 
whole  nation. 


"^OTT  T<a  ■n-r"' 


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WJ- 


-tr? 

OCT  20' 


67  -a  p.nf 


Aiw. 


aA^- 


JAN  14  1987 


2-W^ 


7-^V^ 


AUTO.  DISC /K  24  '87 


I 

J 


LD  62A-50m-7,'65 
(F5756sl0)9412A 


General  Library 

University  of  California 

Berkeley 


B0008fl4«?is 


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9437  Xsi^ 


.46943 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


